Growing Together
by RainingRoses19
Summary: Ethan is back and Lena is convinced they can touch without any consequences. Well, that's not the case. This is their journey trying to find a way out of this curse. Will they ever be allowed to touch? Or, are they cursed to be apart forever? My version on their life after the events of Beautiful Redemption. Ethan/Lena pairing.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

_Lena. _Ethan's voice whispered in the back of my mind. I smiled and climbed off my bed. My notepad was left abandoned on the dresser. I climbed down the stairs in a hurry. I grabbed one of the deep red curtains and peeked my head out. Ethan was sitting off in the distance. I threw the door open and ran a hand through my curly hair. I ran out to him. He has been coming by everyday since he came back from the Otherworld. Well, everyday when his father was working at the university. Ethan was leaning against a large oak tree in Greenbrier. Our place. We've shared so many memories in this place. Ethan looked up at me when I approached. His dark brown eyes looked at me with all the love in the world. But, I could see the sadness that lurked behind the love.

"Hey." He whispered as I sat on the grass next to him. The grass brushed my palms lightly as I leaned to lay on his shoulder.

"You seem sad." I looked up at him. I couldn't help but be concerned about him. He never spoke about what happened in the Otherworld. Or the events after he came back. He never let on but I knew Amma's death affected him deeply. But he never cried or complained. I felt his hands caress my hair.

"You think she's happy with the Greats?" I nodded slowly. This is the first time he'd mentioned anything about her since the accident. Well, since she fell off the water tower to save Ethan and let him live.

"Yeah. I think shes happy. Probably gossiping with Prudence and playing cards with Uncle Abner." He smiled sadly. He hasn't smiled right since then either. Normally, his smiles are so bright and wide enough that you could see the dimples in his cheeks. This smile was different. Full of grief and darkness.

"Ethan." I sat up and looked at him. He was staring off into space while picking blades of grass and shredding them slowly. I touched his cheek and I felt a tear slide down. I leaned over and kissed where the tear had fallen. Ethan stood up suddenly, almost knocking me over in the process. He shoved his hands in his pockets roughly and began stalking off. I sighed and got up to follow him. His shoulders were hunched over as he paced.

"Ethan." He stopped and turned to look at me. Tears were flowing freely now. I ran to him and threw my arms around his neck. He leaned into me and I felt his tears on my shoulder.

"I miss her so much, L. It's so hard living without her. I'm not getting woken up by her banging pots around in the kitchen no more. Or having mountains of scrambled eggs for breakfast. Hell, I don't even know how Dad and I are surviving. We can barely cook anything other than toast and even that comes out burnt most the time. There's no salt lining the windows or bottles hanging on the tree. There's no pies baking in the oven. It just doesn't feel like home without her." He sobbed into my shoulder and I caressed his hair.

"It'll be okay." I tried my best to soothe him. But, I knew better than anyone how hard it was to help someone get over death. When uncle Macon died, I went off the rails and left Ethan behind. Even though Amma is gone, Ethan hasn't left or let the grief overwhelm him. He was so strong even in his weakest moments. Much stronger than me. He stopped crying and leaned away from me. I brushed his shaggy hair out of his face. He hasn't had a haircut sine then either. I kissed the tears off his face and he pulled me into him.

"I love you, Lena." He whispered in my ear before pulling back and kissing me gently. My arms wrapped around him and I pulled him closer to me. I tangled my fingers in his hair and his hands settled on my hips. We haven't been this close since he came back from the Otherworld. His kissed were sweet but firm. He turned me and pressed my back against the closest tree. I smiled against his lips. His arms wrapped around my waist as is kisses got more urgent and passionate. His tongue flicked across my lower lip. I slowly opened my mouth and our tongues began to dance together through the kiss. His hands moved farther up my back as he attempted to draw me closer. I shivered at his touch. We couldn't seem to get close enough. A shock went through my body when Ethan bit my lower lip gently. I tugged on his hair rather hard and he smiled against my lips. Then, it was as if we had been ripped apart by an invisible force. I was leaning against the tree still but Ethan was on his knees panting.

"Ethan, are you alright?" I leaned down and touched his shoulders. He was shivering and I realized what was going on. My touch still affected him. Before, we could only afford to have small chaste kisses. We have never kissed like that. I could still kill him! Ethan's breath slowed until he was breathing normally again.

"I'm so sorry. I thought this was over. God, I'm so stupid." I kicked at the grass and I felt Ethan grab my wrist.

"It's okay Lena. We're getting better. We've never kissed like that. I can withstand more now. Which means all we need to do is give it time." I listened to his words without really listening to him. I thought this was all over. That we could be together without the threat of me killing him. A single tear fell out of my eye and I swiped it away before Ethan could notice it.

"We should get back. Uncle Macon will want me at dinner. Do you wanna join us?" Ethan nodded and I helped him to his feet. He swayed a little when he stood up and it was difficult for me to help him stand. His tall stature made it hard for me to keep him steady. Ethan took a deep breath and smiled at me.

"I'm okay." He said before grabbing my hand and pulling me against him. It wasn't easy to walk in this position but I didn't say anything to him.

"So, what do ya think Kitchens making tonight?" He chuckled softly and kissed my head. I sighed. He was so perfect. Every breath, every movement, every word, and every sound was amazing.

"I guess we'll have to wait and see."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_A/N: Quick shout-out to 75dw75 and PrettyandBlack for reading and following my story. You rock!_

Ethan and I walked into Ravenwood Manor hand in hand. I opened the door and we slipped inside quietly. The walls in the house had changed. They were a deep blue, like the night sky at twilight. They were glittering as if a million stars had been implanted into the walls. I turned the corner to walk into our massive dining room. It to had changed. The walls and ceiling were the same deep blue and were sparkling. I could see the sparkles moving, dancing across my vision. A lone violin sat in the corner playing a soft tone. A giant crystal chandelier hung above the ornate dining table. The table was long enough to fit the whole Gatlin football team.

Though, tonight it would only sit four. After we killed Abraham and Ethan came back from the dead, my family had left and moved back to there original home. The only one to stay with us was Ridley. She claims she stayed because of her love for Gatlin. But, we all knew, it was her love for Link that had made her stay with us. Ethan and I sat on the cushioned dining chairs. Kitchen hadn't brought the food out yet. Usually, it just appears on the table in front of us. The clicking of heels could be heard on the stairs.

"Hey Short Straw! You staying for dinner, again?" Ridley laughed as she took her seat at the table. I rolled my eyes when I saw what she was wearing. Her pink and white hair was straightened to perfection. Her face was ashen white with deadly looking eyes. Black eyeliner rimmed her golden eyes making her look fierce and dangerous. Her lips were deep red and wrapped around a cherry lollipop. She was in a tattered black and green dress that reached barely past her mid-thigh. Ridley had reverted back to being a Siren and took on all her old charm.

"If it means I can spend time with Lena." Ethan drawled and gripped my hand. I leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek. Uncle Macon cleared his throat as he sat in his seat, the head seat, at the front of the table. My cheeks flushed and I leaned away. Uncle Macon was not a fan of PDA.

"Kitchen! I am hungry." Uncle Macon yelled in the general area of the kitchen. Sure, kitchen wasn't a real person but we spoke of her like she was. Out of nowhere, dishes full of food landed on the table. Of course, Kitchen had made enough food to feed a whole football team as well. Bowls of corn, peas, green beans, and grits were arranged around the main entrees. Chicken breasts, steaks cooked to perfection, and an array of grilled fish. Dinner rolls were placed in a small, wicker basket. I grabbed one and bit into it. The roll melted in my mouth as the buttery goodness sank into my taste buds. I smiled and sat the roll down on my plate. We had crystal china tonight that was adorned with small and colorful flowers.

"Well, let's dig in!" Ridley shouted and sat her lollipop to the side. Ethan sat back and gestured for me to get my food first. He could be such a gentleman sometimes. I served myself a small chicken breast with corn and grits. I sat back and almost knocked my glass of tea over. When did that get there? Ethan served himself after Ridley, Uncle Macon, and I had all gotten our food. I smiled as he filled his plate with a serving of every side and three dinner rolls. I couldn't help the giggle that escaped my mouth. When he sat back a glass of chocolate milk appeared in front of him.

"Thank you." He said to the thin air. We all began eating. I ate slowly, trying not to seem like a pig. Ethan, however, had all three rolls eaten and chased it down with a gulp of milk within a couple seconds. I rolled my eyes and I felt his hand slide off of mine. At first, I was disappointed for the lose of contact. Then, Ethan gently slid his hand on the middle of my thigh. I jumped a little. Thank God, no one saw that. I glanced over at Ethan and he was grinning ear to ear. I rolled my eyes and continued to eat.

"So, Ethan, how are things at home? Is your father still working at the University?" Uncle Macon asked while setting his fork down on his plate.

"Yes sir, he is stilling working up there. Everyday of the week. And things are good at home. I've almost taught myself how to cook eggs." Uncle Macons smile wavered a little.

"Good. A skill every young person should have. How are your aunts?"

"I haven't talked to them lately. We rebuilt the house and they are living back there. Dad and I can barely take care of ourselves. We have no business trying to take care of my aunts. Though, I make an effort to visit them every day after school." Uncle Macon nodded and picked his fork back up.

"Speaking of school, can you believe it's already almost the end of the year? We'll be graduating soon." A smile spread across Ethan's face but I could see the sadness he hid behind it.

"Yeah we will. It's a shame Am-" He cut himself off and looked down at his plate. I knew what he was gonna say. It's a shame Amma ain't alive to see it. Ethan gulped and took a couple of deep breaths before returning to his food. All talking ceased after that. I finished my food and sat the plate to the side. Sometime during dinner the dishes had been removed and replaced with desserts. Eclairs, cream puffs, small cookies, and right in the center was a lemon meringue pie. I heard Ethan catch his breath and his hand tightened around my thigh. Lemon meringue pie. Uncle Abner's favorite. Amma used to make him one every month. Ethan stood up swiftly and turned to Uncle Macon.

"Thank you for dinner but I should be getting home." He waved at Ridley and walked swiftly from the room.

"What's wrong with Short Straw?" I shook my head and got up to follow him out. He was already walking down the road towards his truck. His father had bought him a red pick-up so he would stop hitchin' rides with Link in the beater.

"Ethan, are you okay?" He stopped and grasped the hood of his car.

"I can't even look at a damn pie without thinking about her." I rubbed Ethan's shoulder and I heard him exhale slowly.

"It's okay. These things take time to get over."

"I don't think I will. It's like a wound that scabs over. Even the smallest things rips it straight off and opens the wound up again." I kissed him lightly on the shoulder and he turned towards me.

"I don't wanna be alone again. Not tonight." He whispered in my ear. I could hear the desperation and pain in his voice.

"You don't have too. Come back later after Uncle Macons gone to bed. You can stay with me." Ethan smiled sadly and kissed me gently before climbing into his truck. All I could think about while he drove off was him coming to stay with me tonight. We'd slept in beds together many times but I couldn't help but feel like this was going to be different. What the hell did I just get myself into?


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_ A/N: Quick shout-out to Becc-gallenter, wolfpackof1, hostandhungergamesluver, hengstro, lexiedexie, and chlollie4eva for following the story. Thanks for the support!_

I was sitting on my bed scribbling in my notepad. I heard a slight knock on my door and I shot off the bed. Ethan!

"Come in." I swallowed and sat on my bed. A sigh came out of my mouth and I relaxed. Uncle Macon was standing in the doorway.

"I came to say goodnight. You should get some sleep." I nodded and he turned and shut the door behind him. I fell back onto my bed and sighed. I had a horrible feeling about tonight. I should tell Ethan not to come over but I couldn't. He needed to be with someone. I took a couple of deep breaths and stood up.

"It's just another night. We've done this before. Don't be a coward." I told myself before walking over to the tall mirror I had sat up in the corner. I looked over myself. My hair was a mesh of black curls and tangles. My eye makeup had smeared and my chap stick had gone dry. I never wear much makeup anyway. I was still dressed in my jeans and t-shirt from today. My necklace hung around my neck. I played with the bottle cap from the soda Ethan gave me on our first date. A smile spread across my face as I recalled the memory.

I took a deep breath and grabbed a brush. I yanked it through my hair but all it did was frizz up more. I sighed and ran into the bathroom. I stripped off my clothes and jumped into the shower. I washed my body and my hair quickly. I decided to shave my legs too. I was sitting on the side of the bathtub and shaving like a maniac.

"Why am I being so stupid?" I asked myself as I finished shaving. I pulled on my robe and walked back into my room.

"Holy Hell!" Ridley was perched on my bed sucking on a lollipop.

"Why so jumpy? Could it be because of your little plans with Ethan?" I felt myself blush. How did Ridley know about that?

"Don't worry. I won't spoil y'alls fun. Just be safe." She laughed as I threw the brush at her. She left the room quickly and I sank onto my bed. Ethan and I have never really talked about that. Did he expect something tonight? Of course not, we may be able to take things a little farther with kissing but even that hurt him. I shook the thought out of my head and retrieved my brush from the floor. I ran it through my hair.

"I should probably make myself look pretty." I mumbled and yanked open one of my dresser drawers. I dug through the clothes a bit only to realize I had no pretty nightgowns. I sighed and peeled my robe off. I grabbed the nicest pair of underwear I owned and the matching bra. I pulled on a pair of gray sweatpants and a dark blue tank top. I wouldn't say I looked pretty but I looked presentable. I grabbed the only tube of lip gloss I owned and slapped some on my lips. I looked at myself in the mirror again. I looked like I was about to go to bed, minus the lip gloss. Hopefully, Ethan would notice that I was prepared for sleep. I sat on my bed and suddenly words formed in my mind.

_ Haunting Hourglass_

_ Hands of time_

_ Forsaken tears_

_ Touch of fear_

I scrawled the words onto my notepad and stared at them. My poetry always had a meaning hidden between the lines. I was terrified to find out the meaning behind this one.

_L, you still awake._

I jumped as Ethan's words drifted into my mind. I closed my notepad and sat it onto my bedside table.

_Yeah. The doors unlocked. Just be quiet._

I laid back on the pillows and then sat up again. I dangled my feet off the side of the bed and stared at the door. It opened slowly and Ethan popped his head in.

"Hey." I whispered as he shut the door behind him.

"Hey. I missed you." I smiled and walked towards him. He kissed me on the forehead and gathered me into a hug.

"We saw each other a couple of hours ago." I mumbled into his neck. I was standing on my tiptoes just to be there. He chuckled and unwrapped his arms.

"Any new poetry on the walls?" I shook my head frantically. He smiled and walked over to me. He began to fiddle with my charm necklace. I shuddered as his hands ghosted across my collarbone.

"Ethan." Any protest I may have had was silenced by him pressing his lips to mine. He was kissing me with such passion I was afraid I might explode. We pretty much stumbled over onto my bed. Ethan's hands found my waist as I wrapped mine around his neck. Ethan laid me back gently, never breaking the kiss. He leaned into me and I pulled him closer. My body was tingling. Ethan's lips moved from my mouth, down my jawline, and onto my neck. He was trailing kisses up and down the side of my neck, leaving a trail of fire. I felt Ethan's muscles tense up under my hands.

"We have to stop." I muttered while pulling him closer. I didn't want this to stop. I wanted to continue the downward spiral of our fiery passion. His hands glided up my sides. His hands ghosted around my bra line and I gasped.

"Ethan." I muttered almost out of breath. Then, as if he had been struck, Ethan's body convulsed and he fell onto the floor. I jumped up to help him. His body was seizing and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. I screamed and fell to my knees beside him.

"Ethan!" I tried to calm his shaking but where I touched him a huge red mark was left. As if my touch had literally burned him. Tears were streaming down my face as I backed away. I did this. My touch was killing him.

"Lena, what is going on?" Uncle Macon rushed into the room and his eyes went wide when he saw Ethan convulsing on my floor. Macon ran to Ethan and sank on the floor beside him. He didn't need to ask what happened. He already knew. Ridley ran into the room, took one look at the scene and wrapped me into her arms.

"Ethan! Ethan! I'm so sorry!" I screamed as Ridley drug me out of the room. My only thought was, I just killed the love of my life.

_A/N: Cliffhanger! I hope it doesn't upset y'all to much. I will be updating sooner than Saturday on this chapter though. Stay tuned!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_A/N: Quick shout-out to xXJustaWriterxX, nicsav, and Iniysa for following the story. You guys rock!_

My body was thrashing against Ridley as she drug me down the hallway. I wasn't able to form any words. Sobs racked my body as I twisted out of her grasp. Ethan, Ethan, Ethan. Lightning crashed outside and rain began to pour in Ravenwood manor. I gripped my hair and screamed in agony. The pain in my chest was excruciating. My heart was shattering. I fell to the floor and curled up. All the while screaming and sobbing. What have I done? Ethan is going to die and it's my fault. I'm no better than any dark caster out there. I am a tyrant. I gripped my chest as my body began to shake.

"Lena, you've got to calm down." Ridley whispered above me. The rain was pouring at a fast pace and lightning bolts flashed across the ceiling. I tried to breath but I couldn't. My throat had closed and I felt like I was choking on my pain. Ridley rested her hand on my shoulder and I slapped it away quickly. The fireplace surged to life, sending sparks of yellow and orange across the floor.. The rain began to pour so much that I couldn't make out Ridley even though she was in front of me.

"Ethan, Ethan, Ethan." I chanted as I shook. His name sent quick, horrid flashes of pain through my chest. I screamed and gripped my chest again. I heard footsteps on the stairs and looked up. Uncle Macon was standing at the base looking at me. He looked tired and scared. He glanced at me and I saw a flash of pain go through his eyes. I knew before he even spoke.

"Ethan!" Pain shot through my whole body now. Darkness flooded my vision and I was gone.

"Lena, Lena, Lena." A voice sung softly. I cracked my eyes open and Sarafine was standing above me.

"I told you would go dark." She hissed and I saw Ethan standing behind her. His eyes were pure white and his arms and head were limp. I tried to speak but all that came out was a small croak. Ethan stumbled towards me. I could see the bright red patches in the shape of my hands.

"You killed me. It's all your fault. You're worthless." Ethan said before disappearing into a puff of black dust. I reached my arm towards where he was, weakly. I mouthed his name and tears streamed down my face. Sarafine grabbed my arm and tossed me into the wall.

"You killed me. So you could be light. Look where that left you. You're a murderer! Just like me."

Screams rang through the house. I jolted up and found myself on the couch. The screams stopped suddenly. Was that me? I looked around the house. Furniture was scattered across the floor and several pieces were smashed to bits. The curtains and rugs were charred and laying limply across the floor. Black patches of soot covered the walls. My brain pounded against my skull. I sat up and pain shot through my body. Ethan! I jumped up, ignoring the pain that shot through my body with each step, and began to walk upstairs. I climbed the stairs slowly. Did I really want to see him? To see his lifeless body? The beautiful spark of life drained from his eyes? Tears streamed down my face as I walked down the hallway. I stopped in front of my bedroom door. My hand hovered over the handle. I felt cold and horrible. My hand fell onto the handle.

"He's not in there." Tears began to flow freely. Of course, they wouldn't have left him in there. The horrid room where his death took place. My hand dropped from the handle and I turned slowly. Uncle Macon was standing behind me. He was dressed in a black suit. His cane was propped against the wall beside him

"Where is he?" I croaked out. My voice didn't sound right. I sounded hoarse and lifeless.

"He's in the guest bedroom. Lena, he's alive." Alive. That was the one, and only, word I wanted to hear. I turned on my heel and sprinted down the hallway. I threw open the guest bedroom door and stopped in my tracks. Ethan was sprawled on the bed. He was sleeping in some of Uncle Macons old clothes. His arms were covered in yellow and purple bruises. His face and neck were bright red with charred flesh surrounding the worst of it. His hair was disheveled, as is he had been trying to rip it out. I fell onto my knees as I looked at him. He looked horrible. How could I have done this? I barely touched him. Tears streamed down my cheeks and I gripped my chest again. The pain was back but it was worse than before. If I had killed him at least he wouldn't be in pain.

"Lena." I lifted me head and Ethan's eyes were slightly open. His brown eyes were as gorgeous as ever. But, I could see the pain in his expression. His voiced sounded worse than mine. As if he had just come out of house fire and his lungs had consumed too much soot and smoke. His lips pulled up into a smile. His lips were horribly chapped. I could see the pain it caused him to smile. Pain I inflicted on him. Another series of pain shot through my chest. Ethan tried to push himself up. He whimpered and fell back against the bed.

"It would be best for you to stay put." Uncle Macon walked into the room and settled Ethan back onto the bed. Ethan nodded lightly and winced. The burn on his neck cracked open and blood oozed out. It ran down his neck and soaked his shirt. Ethan whimpered again and I could see tears forming in his eyes. I wanted to help him. To heal him. But I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I could just watch as Ethan groaned and cried.

"Lena." Ethan chocked out and his hand reached towards me. His eyes were pleading. Pleading me to help him. I shook my head and tears flowed fasted down my cheeks.

"I can't touch you." I whispered before standing and running. I ran out the front door and down the gravel path. I ran until my lungs felt like they were going to explode. I collapsed as sobs raced through me again. Why? Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't I just love him? Images of Ethan laying in that bed raced though my mind. Rain began to fall in time with my tears.

_Lena. Come back._

Ethan's voice poured into my mind. He sounded right and perfect in my mind. He still wanted me near him. Pain ripped through my body. Tearing at my heart until I was left with nothing. Nothing but the pain and the shreds of my heart.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." I chanted my apologies until my voice gave out and I was left lying in the rain, sobbing. Ethan, why do you love me? Why do you still want me? I don't deserve your love. I never have and I never will. I deserve to be dead. Right along my mother and Abraham. I deserve to be in pain. I deserve to burn.

_A/N: Depressing chapter to write :( but I will be bringing in some more characters next chapter. Who do you think its gonna be? _


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_A/N: Quick shout-out to Golden Orchid Cendrillon, Raspberry Bomb Mikayla, soccergoalie3322, TiffanySill, and Hinata001 for following the story! :)_

The rain grew softer until it was a dull trickle. I was picking at the damp grass, shredding it to pieces. I heard soft steps on the ground beside me. I looked over to see Boo Radley padding towards me in the rain. I sighed and sat up. He nuzzled himself against me and whimpered.

"Hey." I whispered still feeling hoarse. He licked my face and started to slowly walk off. He turned to me and stared.

"I'm guessing Uncle Macon wants me home." Boo grunted and I lifted myself off the ground. The walk back to Ravenwood manor was short. I thought I had run miles but that was not the case. I walked into Ravenwood manor with Boo trailing behind me. I turned to walk into the dining room only to be faced with a lot of people. Ridley was whispering to Link quietly. Sitting at our dinner table was John and Liv. Uncle Macon was standing in the corner.

"What's all this?" I asked quietly. Liv's eyes shot up and they narrowed slightly. Of course, she would be hostile towards me. If someone had told her what happened.

"Just making sure Lover Boy didn't die on us again." John stated while resting a hand on Liv's shoulder. I winced at the thought of him dying, again. The first time was hard enough. I couldn't go through that twice. I lowered my eyes and stared at my beat-up converse.

"How is he?" I mumbled softly feeling tears prick at my eyes.

"He's better. Turns out John has touched more than a few Thaumaturge Casters in his time. He offered to help Ethan out." I looked at John, who shrugged, and smiled tightly. Ethan was not going to like this.

"Thank you." I whispered. "Do you know everything?" I asked quietly, casting my eyes to the floor once again.

"That's why I came. I couldn't let you live with that." I smiled sadly and then ran to John. I wrapped my arms around him. He was my friend and he helped Ethan. His arms wrapped around my frigid body tentatively. I didn't notice how cold and drenched I was until I was with someone else.

"Lena." I glanced at the stairs. Ethan was standing in the middle staring at John and I. John unwrapped his arms from around me.

"Ethan! Are you okay?" I couldn't say anything before Liv was rushing towards him. He did look better. The burns on his neck were just faded patches of red now. Almost all the bruises were gone and, what was left, was faded. His hair was still a tousled mess but it made him look oddly attractive. His skin was deathly pale though. And his eyes, those gorgeous eyes, were haunted. The brown had small gray flecks through it. What did Ethan tell me Amma used to say? The eyes were the window to the soul? Well, if that was true, I could see straight into Ethan's soul. He looked scared and in pain. Liv was standing in front of Ethan now. I could almost see the scowl on her face.

"Hey Liv." His voice was still very hoarse. He sounded like he had swallowed a bowl full of razors. Ethan's eyes turned towards me and he smiled. Liv moved and Ethan stumbled over to me. He reached his hand out like he did last night. Flashes of images from last night rang into my head. I stumbled away from his hand and ran into a nearby chair. All I could see was the burns that had consumed his neck and the bruises, that were in the shape of my fingers. I clamped a hand over my mouth to stop the sob that threatened to escape. I can't touch him. Not after the I've seen the damage I could do.

"Lena. What's wrong?" Ethan said breathlessly. Pain shot through his eyes and he reached for me again. I shook my head frantically. A lamp that was sitting in the hallway went flying into the wall. Ethan jumped at the sound and dropped his hand.

"I'm sorry. I won't hurt you again. I swear." I croaked out while backing into the wall farthest from Ethan.

"Lena, I'm okay. You didn't hurt me." I scoffed at him and swiped away a tear.

"You're delirious." Liv shot out towards Ethan. I glared at her. Even though she was right, I didn't want to agree with her. Ethan shook his head and started walking towards me. He got a couple of feet away from me and stopped.

"I don't care about what happened last night. You're not the only one who lost control. I wasn't thinking about the consequences. I was only thinking about how much I wanted to be closer to you. It's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for." I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face. I felt Ethan reach out and stroke my cheek. I smacked his hand away and looked at the ground.

"It is my fault! What's the worst that could happen if you lost control? You don't burn me. You don't make it pour down raining when you get upset. You're twice my size and I still brought you to your knees. I'm so stupid!" I screamed out at him. He looked hurt but he didn't back away from me. He stood his ground.

"I don't care. Loves a risk. I've known that ever since I met you. Go ahead, kill me. If it means I can keep loving you than I'll take whatever punishment. I'll die if it means I can still love you. You know that saying "Love conquers all"? That's us Lena. We've conquered so much together. The claiming, Abraham, your mother, Hunting and his pack. Our love brought me back from the Otherworld. We'll conquer this too. Until then, we just have to learn how to control ourselves." I sighed and Ethan pulled me into a hug. My mind was telling me to pull away but it felt so good to be in his arms. He felt like warmth and safety and home. He kissed the top of my head and I pushed against his chest. He pulled back and smiled down at me. He grabbed my hand and walked over to the table. During our little talk, breakfast had appeared on the table. I yawned as I realized I hadn't slept yet. Ethan began to dig into the pancakes Kitchen had made us.

"Dude, slow down and save some for the rest of the table." Link shouted out, even though it didn't matter much to him anyway. Ethan chuckled and continued to eat. I ripped apart a pancake and ate small pieces with my hands. Uncle Macon, who hadn't muttered a word, sat at the table and began to eat slowly. John and Liv sat across from us beside Link and Ridley.

"Should I tell them or would you like to relay the message?" Uncle Macon asked quietly. I looked around the table. What did they have to tell us? I felt Ethan's hand slide protectively over mine.

"Well we thought you two should know that your not the only ones." Link said while kicking his feet up on the table.

"Not the only ones? What the hell does that mean?" Ethan sat his fork down and sat straighter. He looked stronger but still horribly pale.

"He's mean you two aren't the only ones who can't touch. Or, at least, not a lot." John popped in. I looked at him. Did they find another couple like us?

"Who?" Ethan questioned.

"John and I can't touch without me being in pain. Just like you and Lena." Liv said. I gasped and dropped my pancake piece back onto my plate.

"Why?" Ethan asked leaning forward onto his elbows.

"We don't know. We were hoping you two would help us figure that out." We weren't the only ones. But why couldn't they touch? Liv isn't a caster and John only has a little caster in him. What did this mean? And why did it have to be John and Liv? This was going to suck. Majorly.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_A/N: Quick shout-out to JasperWhitlockHale1863, Unmeone, undercat5, Emi Tonks Cullen, Nerdean, katniss8, Billy17, dandin, and luvmusic87 for liking the story._

Ethan leaned in and pecked me on the cheek. I flinched away. I could see the pain that flashed through his expression but I chose to ignore it. Rather he be in emotional pain than be dead, again.

"I love you, Lena." He whispered before Link ripped them back to Ethan's house. I sighed and sat down on the steps. Last night was insane. It wasn't really night anymore. It was seven in the morning. Ethan and I had school in an hour. Though, we weren't going today. Ethan cause it's mid July so he can't wear anything to cover the burns. I'm not going cause I'm exhausted. I felt someone lay a hand on my shoulder. I glanced up and John was standing next to me.

"If it helps, I know what you're going through?" I looked down at my beaten up converse and started to twirl my charm necklace.

"You're barely even a caster. Why did this happen to you too?" John shrugged and sat down beside me. I ran my fingers across the flattened penny. A smile spread across my lips.

"You should probably get ready for school." My smile quickly turned into a scowl.

"I'm not going. I don't feel like dealing with that crap." John chuckled and stood up. The door opened behind us. I could almost feel the tension.

"Can you take me home?" Liv asked, hopefully, John. He nodded and within seconds I was alone on the steps of Ravenwood. I yawned and stood up. I need to get some sleep. I made it to my bedroom and fell onto my bed.

"Sarafine." Ethan whispered. I looked around and didn't know where I was. Fog had overtaken the place. I could barely see my hand. I began to walk, looking for Ethan. Something was crunching underneath me with each step. Was that leaves? It felt hard. Then I saw him. Sarafine had her hands wrapped around Ethan's neck. She looked wild. Her eyes were completely white, as if she were blind. Ethan was gasping for breath and kicking helplessly out at Sarafine. I ran towards them but I couldn't get anywhere near them. I fell and was surrounded by humans bones.

"Lena!" Ethan screamed and I shot up in my bed. I grasped at my chest as my heart pounded.

_She's gone. There's nothing to be scared of. _Ethan voice sounded in my head. What is he talking about?

_Ethan, did you see that too? _Ethan's mind went blank. I couldn't hear him anymore. I flipped the blankets off of me and grabbed my cellphone. I dialed Ethan's number and after the fourth ring he picked up.

"Lena."

"Who were you talking about? Who's gone?" Ethan sighed and I could hear the sound of him pouring himself a glass of milk.

"I had a nightmare. About Sarafine."

"I saw it. But I wasn't asleep. It was like I was watching a movie."

"That's not possible, L. Kelting doesn't mean you can see my dreams. You've never seen my dreams before. Right?"

"Right. I thought I was hallucinating. It felt so real. Like I had been there before. Or, at least, you had." Ethan sighed again.

"Lena, I need to tell you something. But don't freak out."

"Okay." I sat back onto my bed and Ethan took a couple of breaths.

"When I was in the Otherworld, I had to go through a maze to get to the Far Keep. I had to fight someone to the death in the middle of the maze." He stopped and took another deep breaths.

"What you just saw isn't just a nightmare. Sarafine was in the Otherworld. She was tied to a throne of bones and completely blind. I had to fight her to get to the Far Keep. She sacrificed herself so I could kill Angelus." I gasped. My mother did that. She gave up her life so Ethan could live? Even though there was obviously some ulterior motives, she still helped Ethan escape.

"Why didn't you tell me this?"

"I didn't want to upset you. I've been trying to forget the whole thing happened."

"Ethan, I saw your dream. Why can I do that now?" I asked, trying to get the subject off my mother. So she did one good thing. After everything she put me through, one good thing will not change her in my eyes.

"I don't know. Just another thing we have to figure out. Do you want to talk about the dream?"

"No. I don't even want to think about Sarafine."

"Okay. So how about we go to the Lunae Libri and look around. See if we can make sense of any of this. Marian and Liv can help us." Even though she was the last thing on my mind, Liv's name still made me scowl. We had called a truce but I would never really like her. To blonde and bubbly and pretty.

"That's a good idea. I'll call John and tell him to come too."

"Why does John need to come?"

"Because we may find something about this whole Caster/Mortal thing that is trying to kill you and Liv." Ethan scoffed. Ethan didn't like John. John was to him, what Liv is to me. Though, I never had any romantic feelings for John, Ethan still didn't like him.

"Fine. But I not playing Mr. Nice Guy." I laughed. It felt weird to laugh at a time like this. I had almost killed my boyfriend less than twelve hours ago. Now I was seeing his dreams. Oh and my mother was apparently a good guy for two seconds. Today is confusing.

"Lena. Have you seen anything else?"

"No. We've seen visions of the past together but this wasn't a vision. It was a nightmare you were having and I was living. Why do you ask?" Ethan coughed. It was one of those embarrassed, I don't wanna talk about it, coughs.

"No reason. Curiosity. Well, if we're going to meet at the Lunae Libri, I need to get more sleep. How about we meet there at four?" I grabbed my clock. It was only eight thirty. I hadn't gotten a wink of sleep before this happened.

"Yeah, I need to sleep some too. Four it is."

"See you there. I love you."

"I love you too."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_A/N: Thanks to Elmo Fanatic, deadandlovingit, RiteNameHere, CasterChroniclesLover, Howl3, l0verlynikolee, and Fogs of Gray for following the story._

I arrived at the Library at three forty-five. Hopefully, I could enjoy being with Ethan before Liv shows up. I walked through several tunnels until I came to the opening of the Lunae Libri. Ethan was digging through the shelves and placing books onto the table. His hair was long and wild. He strained to reach a book on a particularly high shelf. His muscles flexed under the blue t-shirt he was wearing. I smiled and walked up behind him.

"Hey Ethan." He looked down at me and smiled. The burns that were on his neck had faded to pink patches. The color had come back into his cheeks. He looked like a healthy teenage boy again. He leaned down and pecked me on the cheek before placing the book onto the table.

"You've been busy." Ethan shrugged and grabbed one of the books. I sat down at the table and grabbed another. We spent the next couple of minutes reading until we heard murmurs of voices coming down one of the tunnels. Liv and John turned the corner into the room, hand in hand. They stopped talking and came to sit at the table with us. John pulled a chair out for Liv, a chair that was right next to Ethan. I scowled and moved my chair closer to Ethan. Yes, I was being over-protective and jealous. But, after losing your boyfriend twice, you get like that. Ethan chuckled and grabbed my hand.

"You two find anything yet?" John asked while pulling out his own chair.

"Nothing so far. I'm still not that well versed in Caster lingo though. You find anything, L?" I shook my head and continued reading. I had no idea why Ethan grabbed this book. It was basically just telling of Caster History. Maybe, he though there was something in our history. We all sat in silence. Ethan's hand slipped from mine only to be placed on my knee. I smiled and patted his hand. Then, Ethan's hand began to slowly caress my thigh. I shivered at the feeling. Goosebumps raised on my arms. Ethan's hand roamed higher and he squeezed my upper thigh. I bit my lip and pushed his hand away. We can't do this. Last time I got tempted it ended in a disaster. Ethan placed his hand back onto the table and huffed. Teenage boys. I rolled my eyes and tried to focus on the page I was supposed to be reading.

"Well, this isn't awkward at all." John said while setting his book down. "If we're going to have any chance of uncovering this mystery, we need to sort some things out." I sat my book down and looked across the table at him. Ethan rolled his eyes and kept reading.

"Just to make things clear, I'm not after Lena. You can stop being threatened of me." Ethan scoffed and put the book down, harshly.

"I'm not threatened of you. I just don't like you. You helped Abraham and Sarafine in their quest to make Lena go dark. Just because you have everyone else fooled, don't think for a second I believe this. You can't be trusted." Ethan grabbed his book back off the table.

"People change. Macon went from being a Incubus to a Light Caster. Why is is so hard for you to believe that I've changed?" Ethan barely even glanced up from his book. He was pissed, I could tell.

_Ethan. It's okay. Don't let him get under you're skin. _Ethan's body relaxed a little. Silence spread through us again. I was reading about some light caster that had saved a town or something when Marian and Uncle Macon walked in.

"Hey. What are y'all doing here?" Ethan asked. He sat his book down and stood to give Marian a hug. Uncle Macon pulled two chairs to the table. One for him and one for Marian.

"We're here to help. Oh, and to make sure no one gets hurt." Marian chuckled and grabbed a book.

"Who got all these books out? They don't even seem relevant to the subject." John asked. Ethan raised his hand as he sat back down.

"I thought the best place to start would be the history of Casters. I can't be the only mortal whose fallen in love with a Caster. I bet a lot of people have. Someone is bound to know something. Maybe a figure from y'alls history. The hard part is finding out who." John shrugged and picked his book back up. I went back to reading when Ethan leaned over.

"I think I found something. There's this married couple in this book. It was rumored that the girl was a mortal. But somehow, they ended up having a child. Course it also says she died giving birth to their child." I cringed and leaned over to read the passage.

"Well it was only a rumor. Maybe people just assumed she was a mortal." Ethan's brow furrowed and he looked closely at the page.

"But what if it wasn't a rumor? We could have a lead." Liv stood up and came over to read over Ethan's shoulder. She was much to close to him for comfort. I took one of his hands in mine. A smile broke out across her face.

"Ethan you're a genius!" She threw her arms around Ethan and hugged tightly. Ethan stiffened but returned the hug.

"Thanks I guess. What did I do?" Ethan said. Liv was still hugging him. I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming at her. Don't touch him. Let him go. I balled my hands into fists until my fingernails cut deeply into my skin. Liv leaned away and she was smiling. She looked so happy. Next thing I knew, one of the shelves burst into flames. Ethan jumped up and moved away from the fire. He took one look at me and knew. _Lena. _I stood up and the flame went out. It had barely even charred any of the books. I glanced over at Liv. At least that stupid perky grin was off her face. Ethan grabbed my hand and drug me away from everyone else.

"Lena-" I cut him off and kissed him. It had been so long since I had tasted him. Ethan's hands snaked around my waist and he pulled me into him. The kiss was slow and passionate. Just kissing him doesn't hurt. We've kissed like this before. My lips parted as I let Ethan's tongue slide into my mouth. He pulled me closer. I wrapped my hands around his neck and tugged on his hair. Ethan chuckled into my mouth and then he picked me up. My legs wrapped around his waist immediately. He backed me into a shelf of books and pressed his body to mine. He felt amazing against me. His muscles were stiff. They moved under his shirt with him. I unwound my arms from his neck and slowly traced his torso. His muscles contracted under my hands. He was so perfect. My hands slide across his abdomen. Ethan groaned into my mouth. He released my lips but quickly replaced them back onto my neck. Oh no. This was getting too serious. I pressed into his chest but Ethan only pulled my tighter. His hands left my waist and began fiddling with the hem of my shirt.

"Ethan." I tried to protest but it came out as a more of a sigh. Me saying his name spurred him on as his hand crept up my shirt and over my abdomen. I pressed on his chest again.

"Ethan, wait." His right hand found its way under my bra line. I gasped as Ethan cupped my breast for the first time. His hand caressed me gently. Ethan moaned against my neck and then his lips found mine again. His tongue snaked back into my mouth as his hand squeezed my breast more aggressively. I gasped and pressed myself into his hand. We shouldn't be doing this. I'm going to hurt him.

"Ethan Lawson Wate!" Marian yelled. Ethan and I broke apart and turned to see Marian standing at the end of the row of shelves. I was about to explain when I heard a crash. Ethan collapsed against the other shelf, panting. I dropped down to my knees beside him and heard Marian rush over to us.

"Ethan. I told you to stop." The pink patches on his neck had turned a scarlet red. The marks were the exact width of my arms, they were placed were my arms had been. He smiled weakly at me.

"I'm okay. Just let me catch my breath." Ethan took a couple deep breaths and tried to sit up. He leaned against the bookcase and shut his eyes. He was sweating like he had just ran a marathon. Marian leaned over him and pressed her sweater to his forehead.

"Ethan, you're burning up!" Marian tisked and I heard footsteps beside us. I looked over and Uncle Macon passed Marian a glass of water. He glanced at me and sighed.

"We need to talk."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

_A/N: Sorry for the late update, I was at a church retreat this weekend. Also, thank you to gabbygirl980,_

_I-am-from-District-12, crazycakes786, jessara1, IamArtemis, journalwriterx, and Beautiful Duchannes for following and liking the story._

I glanced down at Ethan, who was still smiling, and walked off with Uncle Macon. We walked a good distance from everyone before Uncle Macon turned towards me.

"What were you thinking? You almost killed him last time." I looked down at the ground and shrugged. I hadn't been thinking about anything other than the pleasure that was still coursing through my veins. I bit my lip and looked up at Macon.

"I'm sorry." I said plainly. I didn't know what to say. I knew it was wrong and that I'd hurt him but I let him touch me anyways.

"You don't have to apologize to me. However, you have to think of the consequences. I know you love him but sometimes love isn't enough. This isn't a fairy tale. Love doesn't conquer all like Ethan believes." Uncle Macon sighed and I could see the emotions swirling in his eyes. He was thinking about Lila. Uncle Macon took a deep breath and looked back at me.

"If you can't keep your hormones under control then I'll be forced to take matters into my own hands." Uncle Macon turned on his heels and walked away. I sat down on the ground and shut my eyes.

Fire was coursing through my veins. All I wanted to do was find Ethan and kiss him into oblivion. But that wasn't possible. We did have more leniency this time, though. Ethan had touched me. I bit my lip and pressed a hand over my heart. It beat rapidly as I played the scene over in my hand. Ethan pressing me against the row of books, his hand on me, his lips on mine. I blushed and moved my hand. I opened my eyes slowly. I should go check on him. I peeled myself off the ground and walked back to where I had left Ethan.

I turned the corner only to see Ethan sitting in the exact same position. His breathing had become more rapid and raspy. Tears were streaming down his face. I watched as they traveled down his face. The imprints my arms had left on his neck were fiery red. Then, I noticed Ethan's shirt was off. The red marks had trailed down his chest. I could see my hand prints on his chest and abdomen. Places I had touched him. Ethan clenched his hand together and a strangled cry escaped his mouth. I looked down at his hand only to see blood running down his wrists and through his fingers.

"Ethan!" I ran towards him and dropped to my knees. I grabbed his hands roughly and forced them open. His palms had been burnt. Charred flesh hung from his hands as blood bubbled above the skin. I covered my mouth to keep from screaming. My body had burnt him. I let myself get lost in the pleasure and he ended up hurting for it.

"It's not as bad as it looks." Ethan croaked out. His voice had taken on the raspy tone again. I felt tears prick at my eyes. I looked away from his hands. I couldn't look at the damage I had caused anymore.

"Lena, dear, would you please back away?" Marian patted me lightly on the shoulder and I scooted away from Ethan. Marian sat down and out an array of object next to her. I noticed bandages, wrapping cloth, and rubbing alcohol. I leaned against the bookshelf and looked at Ethan. He had his eyes closed and he was breathing deeply.

"This will only hurt a little." Marian whispered to him before pouring the rubbing alcohol onto both of Ethan's hands. Ethan let out a strangled gasp and clenched his teeth. I watched as the flesh bubbled on his hands, turning red from the blood. Marian quickly unwrapped the bandages and cloth. She touched Ethan's hands lightly and dabbed at them. Tears streamed down Ethan's face. He was in so much pain. He sat eerily still as Marian put the bandages over his hands and wrapped them with cloth.

"There we go. All better." Ethan sighed and opened his eyes. They were bloodshot from him clenching them shut. Marian patted his shoulder, much like she did mine, and stood. She gathered all her supplies and walked away. She was probably giving us time to talk. Though, I knew Macon and her were waiting around the corner just in case.

"Ethan." He looked up at me and smiled. His smile was weary. How many more times will he let me hurt him before he realizes the mistake he is making? Ethan tried to stand up only to wince and fall back down when his hands touched the floor.

"I'm alright." He gasped out. He shut his eyes again, no doubt, trying to hide his tears from me.

"I'm so sorry. I should have tried harder to stop you. I should have done something." Tears fell from my eyes. Why the hell am I crying? I'm not the ones whose hands were burnt to a crisp. I shook my head quickly as sobs racked my body. Why do I keep hurting him? I clenched my hands into fists again. I cried until I felt Ethan rest his head on mine.

"You don't have to apologize. I weigh at least a hundred more pounds than you. It was my fault." I scoffed as new tears fell from my eyes.

"Weight has nothing to do with it. I'm a Caster. I could have stopped you. But I didn't want to. You're suffering because I'm a selfish person." He shook his head and I felt him lie his hand on mine. He was barely touching me but I could still hear the slight gasp that escaped him.

"You're not selfish. Besides, I'm the one who groped you in the middle of the library." We both chuckled a little before going silent again.

"What does it feel like when I burn you?" I asked after a couple minutes. Ethan shrugged and sat up.

"I don't usually feel it until after. You're body does feel like I'm touching a hot flame but the pain doesn't start until after I take my hands off of you. Honestly, I didn't even know what was happening. All I knew was we were together. That I was touching you and you were enjoying it. That I was making you feel good." Ethan bit his lip. I couldn't tell if his face was red from embarrassment or if it was just red from psychical excursion.

"We'll find someway to stop this. We have a lead now. You just wait, in a couple of months, we'll have all this sorted out." Ethan was rather optimistic for a guy who almost had his hands burned off. I nodded and tried to look enthusiastic. Ethan knew me well enough to know I was faking it but he decided to leave well enough alone. I stood and turned to help Ethan to his feet. I grabbed his wrists gently and pulled him up. Ethan staggered a little but found his balance soon after. He smiled at me and leaned down. I turned away from him just as his lips brushed against my cheek.

"Lena." He sighed as I slowly walked away from him. I could hear his footsteps a few feet behind me but I didn't stop until we made it back to the center of the library. John and Liv still had their noses buried in books. I could tell they knew what happened. Just from the sideways glance Liv gave me.

"Well I've had enough excitement for one day. See you guys later." John said to us and then leaned over to peck Liv on the cheek. She smiled up at him. I knew that look. The look of pure adoration. The look Ethan gives me every so often. I shook the thought out of my head and sat down. Ethan was still standing by a bookshelf. I gestured for him to sit but he stayed as still as a statue. I stood up and walked over to him. His eyes were fixed on a empty spot on the wall.

"Ethan, what's wrong?" I touched his hand and he didn't move.

"Amma!" He screamed and rushed over to the wall. He ran smack into the gray cobblestone wall and began kicking and punching at it. I rushed over to him and pulled his hands away from the wall. He had ripped the cloth and blood welled up from his knuckles as well as his palms.

"I saw her! She was right here! She was trying to say something! Oh God, Amma! Come back!" Ethan screamed and broke down into sobs against the wall.

"Amma, come back. Please."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

_A/N: I am so sorry for not updating sooner. I've been slammed with homework and exams. Also, quick shout-out to SierraxMarie, WeirdFeather101, ForHadesSake, SingLikeThere'sNobodyListening, and LalaEveryday for following and liking the story!_

"Amma." Ethan whispered as his head fell against the wall. Tears streamed down his face. He took a couple of deep breaths and stood up.

"Ethan." I said but he shook his head at me.

"Just give me a minute." I nodded and sat down. All eyes were on Ethan. He clenched his fists, which probably hurt like hell.

"She was trying to say something to me. I couldn't hear her very well but I caught a couple of words. Danger or stranger and Lena." Ethan sat down as he talked. Danger and Lena. Of course, Amma knew what was going on. The Greats either told her or she could see herself. Like Ethan could still see us when he was in the Otherworld. Also, she probably knew more about what was going on than we did. I glanced over at Ethan. He had his face buried in his hands. Marian laid a hand on his shoulder but Ethan smacked it off and practically ran out of the library.

"Ethan!" I got up to go after him but Marian shook her head.

"Give him some space. He needs to sort this out." I sighed and sat back down. Could today get any worse for him? Knowing this world, the answer would be yes. Things could always get worse.

"Why do you think he can see Amma? As far as I knew you couldn't see people who are in the Otherworld. I mean, I never saw him when he was there." I said looking at Marian. She was the smartest in the room, right now, so she was the most logical person to turn too.

"I have no idea. At first I thought it may have been how close they were. But Ethan and you were very close as well. Maybe it's because she's a Seer. She channeled the Greats when she was alive maybe she can make people see her."

"But why only Ethan? Why not all of us?"

"Ethan could barely move the crossword pieces without exhausting himself. Amma is powerful but not that powerful." I sat back against my chair, pondering. I had no doubt in my mind that she was trying to help us. She loves Ethan as much as I do. Seeing him in pain must been killing her inside. That is, if she could see him all the time. Everything is just so confusing right now. I heard heavy footsteps coming back into the room. I expected to see Ethan but it was Link.

"What are you doing here?" I asked rather surprised. I knew Ethan would have told him about the search but I didn't think he'd show up.

"Macon called me. Wanted me to talk to Ethan about something. Where is Ethan anyways?" I shrugged my shoulders. Link must have taken this as a bad sign.

"That's weird. Ever since he came back from the Otherworld, you two have been attached at the hip. Not literally though, I hope. You two don't exactly need to touching much." I smiled sarcastically at him.

"He should be back soon. How about we fill you in on everything." Marian said while sipping a cup of tea. Tea usually just appears into her hands without her doing anything. I shook my head. Pay attention to more important things than Marian and her tea. Link and her talking became white noise in my head. I closed my eyes and laid my head onto the table.

_Ethan. Are you okay? _Silence. His voice didn't stretch out to me like it usually did. I was such a small thing but it still shattered my heart. He was hurting and I couldn't do anything to help him.

_What is wrong with me? Not only am I seeing Amma but I feel like I'm losing control. Like someone else is pulling my strings whenever I touch Lena. Someone who doesn't want us apart. Someone who wants nothing more than to touch her. God, what the hell is going on?_

Just the way his words were formed tripped me up. He wasn't Kelting with me or even speaking to me. I was hearing his thoughts. I jumped up and followed the incoherent rambling in my head. I couldn't make out anymore of his words. I was all a miss-mash of his thoughts and my own.

"Ethan, where are you?" I heard shuffling down a corridor to my left and followed the sound. At the end of the corridor, Ethan was propped against the wall. His eyes were rimmed with red. He had obviously been crying a lot.

"Are you okay?" All thoughts about hearing his thoughts left my mind. He looked so broken and tired. Add the wrapped hands and you had Ethan. He shook his head and looked up at me.

"Somethings wrong. Amma was trying to warn me but I could barely hear her. She knows what's happening but can't get to us. I'm just so confused. I feel like someone else-"

"Is pulling the strings." Ethan looked startled when I finished his sentence.

"How did you know?"

"After I tried to Kelt to you I started hearing your thoughts. I knew it wasn't you Kelting to me because you didn't say you. You called me Lena." Ethan's eyes widened so much they looked like they may pop out of his skull.

"So you can see my dreams and hear my thoughts?" I shrugged and sat next to him without actually getting near him.

"Can you hear my thoughts right now?" I tried my hardest to tune into his thoughts but I didn't get a peep.

"No, I can't." Ethan huffed and stood up. He reached out to me to help me up. I peeled myself off the ground and didn't grab his hand. I was afraid to touch him. I didn't want to cause him anymore pain. I knew it hurt him but he shrugged it off.

"We need to get some answers and it's obvious we're not going to find them here. Where do you think we should start looking?" Ethan asked me as we walked down the corridors.

"Maybe we should read more into that guy you mentioned earlier. There could be some truth behind the rumor about his wife." Ethan nodded and we walked into the main room. Link smiled at Ethan when he came in.

"Hey Ethan. So, you finally getting some?" Link whispered to him and Ethan punched him lightly on the shoulder. They both chuckled like any other pair of teenage boys. Even though I wanted to hit Link, it made me feel kind of better that they were joking around. It may be good for Ethan to joke around a little. Keep his mind off of Amma and all that crap. Also, I knew Link was the last one who would support Ethan if we did something that stupid. Getting some was completely off the books until we figured all this out. I glanced over at Ethan, who was talking animatedly to Link, and he winked at me. I winked back trying to keep it playful. I didn't want to be a downer but I knew things were going to get worse before they get better.

I'll give him the rest of the day to not worry about any of this and just be a normal guy. Even though normal was a stretch for a Wayward who was dating a Caster. Oh my God, Ethan was a Wayward! Why didn't I think of this before?

"Ethan we could really have a chance of finding the cure! It's you're supernatural job to find things!" I squealed and then blushed for being so excited. Ethan smiled. We could have a shot at finding everything out. Then we could finally be together and happy. I smiled at the thought. Hopefully, things will go smoothly tomorrow.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

_A/N: No shouts-outs this time but I have to say I absolutely love you guys! Y'all have given me so much love even though this is my first fanfic! The support y'all are given me really helps me to keep writing! I appreciate y'all more than you'll ever know! Y'all are the best fans anyone could ever have! Thanks for sticking with me through the first 10 chapters! May the next 10 be as glorious and amazing as the first! (Sorry for the long AN just had to tell y'all that.)_

Things were not going to go smoothly today. I knew that the second Emily Asher walked up to Ethan's and my desks. She smiled sweetly at Ethan, which only made me want to punch her pearly teeth straight out of her mouth. What did she even want? Ethan hasn't even talked to her in over a year. Without even a glance in my direction, she sat a small envelope on Ethan's desk.

"Thought you may want a night to celebrate our last year of high school. Just you." She smiled at him again, flipped her blonde hair, and walked to her desk. I scowled and leaned over to stare at the envelope. Ethan turned and smiled at me.

"Don't you think they'd realize that I don't go anywhere without you anymore?" He winked and then the teacher walked into the room.

"Thank God that's over." I sighed as I leaned back in the front seat of my hearse. School was as boring and stupid as ever. Graduation is in a month, though. That's something to look forward too.

"So where to?" Ethan asked as he climbed in the passenger seat. I had to drive considering the current state his hands were in. I pulled out of the school parking lot, quickly.

"Library. We need to get back to our research." Ethan nodded. He fiddled with the radio before just cutting it off completely. Things have been getting awkward with us. Ever since I heard his thoughts yesterday, he had been quiet. Ethan had barely talked to me today. Which was odd, usually I couldn't get Ethan to shut up.

"Is everything okay? You seem quiet today." Ethan shrugged and played with the black gloves he wore over his hands today.

"Can you still read my thoughts?" I knew that had something to so with his sudden silence.

"I haven't heard them since yesterday. I think it may have been a fluke. Or there has to be certain factors that go along with it. I heard them when you were distressed and angry. Maybe that's the only times I can hear you." Ethan grunted and looked out the window.

"What about dreams? Did you see them last night?" Ethan asked. Why was he suddenly so defensive about his mind? Of course, if the roles were reversed, I would be freaking out. Privacy was a privilege that Ethan was slowly losing.

"Nope. Why? Are you hiding something?" Ethan chuckled quietly but didn't answer. Was that a good sign or bad sign?

"You didn't answer." I murmured. I wasn't particularly worried about Ethan trying to hide anything from me. I was more worried about him not talking to me. With everything that's been going on, I'm pretty sure he's been having more nightmares.

"No, I'm not hiding anything from you. I'm just not a big fan of the sudden invasion of my mind. Even if I had a secret, which I don't, what would stop you from knowing?" I stared at him for a second.

"No need to get defensive. I was just asking a question." I murmured before turning the radio onto some station. I didn't want to listen to any music but it was better than silence. Why did he get defensive? Was this a privacy thing? A pride thing? Or was he really not telling me something? I admit I'm being a little paranoid but I couldn't help it. I've lost Ethan way too many times. I didn't want to lose him again. Not to sadness, or anger, or(god forbid) another girl. Rain started to pour the second the thought slipped into my mind. My hands gripped the steering wheel as thunder rumbled the car.

"L are you doing that?" I gritted me teeth and slammed on the brakes. I laid my head on the steering wheel. I took a couple of deep breaths. I need to calm down. I'm overreacting. Taking things way out of proportion. But I couldn't help it. Then, Liv's face popped into my mind. What if something happened between them? What if Ethan wants her instead of me? Is that why he's so worried about his thoughts and dreams? He could have a normal relationship with Liv. They could get married and have children. They could be together in ways we couldn't. Tears fell down my face. What is wrong with me? Why am I freaking out about something so little? But, what if it's true?

"Lena, what's wrong? I didn't mean to make you upset. I know it's not something you can help. I'm sorry. Please stop crying." I felt Ethan's gloved hand slip onto my shoulder.

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened with you and Liv? If I did go dark?" Ethan stayed silent for a couple of minutes.

"No. I could never love someone like I love you. If you went dark and truly left me, I don't know what I would do. I would probably leave Gatlin and never look back. Settle for some horrid life where I wasn't happy. I would never marry or have kids. Not without you." I looked up at him from the steering wheel. He smiled sweetly at me and then moved his hand from my shoulder.

"I'm sorry I've been so distant and quiet. I just worry about what you would think if you were actually in my mind twenty-four seven. A lot of my thoughts center around you. But sometimes I slip and think about Amma, or my mom, or Aunt Prue. I try not to think of them too often but I can't help it. I don't want to burden you with all the sad and crappy thoughts I have." I sat up and turned to Ethan.

"I want to know. I want you to know that you can talk to me. About anything. I don't want you to keep it all bottled up. It'll just make you unhappy if you don't talk about them." Ethan nodded and leaned across the seats. I was going to let him kiss me until I felt his gloves on my face. I turned away from him and started to drive again.

"Am I not aloud to kiss you?" Ethan asked. He sounded upset that I pulled away from him.

"After what happened yesterday, I think it's best to keep our distance. Especially when we're alone." Ethan scowled and sat back.

_Great. _I smiled and turned into the parking lot of the library.

"I love you. Don't ever think I don't." Ethan reached out and stroked my hair before climbing out of the car. I followed after him and we walked inside. Marian was sitting at the libraries desk messing with some book and sipping tea. Again with the tea? She smiled at us as we walked in.

"Funny seeing you up here." Ethan said before helping Marian out of the chair and hugging her tightly.

"I do have to keep up with this library too. It's doing so much better now. We've almost gotten everything replaced from the fire. It's taken forever but you know what they say, better late than never." Ethan smiled and Marian led us down into the Lunae Libri. She pulled the long, ancient key out of her pocket and unlocked the doors.

"I have to stay in the main library a couple of more hours but I'll be down when I'm done. I did call someone in to keep a eye on you two though." I blushed. Marian had been the only one to see Ethan's and I actually making out. She was not very happy about it. Ethan opened the door and I followed in after him. Marian locked the door behind us and I heard her heels click in the distance. Ethan and I walked down a couple of corridors until we came into the main room, where we were doing our research. I heard a soft giggle and I rounded the corner into the sitting area. Ridley was perched on Link's lap. They were kissing rather passionately. Link's hand were on Ridley's backside as hers moved across his chest. Ethan cleared his thought which didn't seem to faze either of them. Ridley simply turned around and looked at us.

"Hey Short Stack, how are the hands?" Ethan shot Link a death glare. Link smiled and moved Ridley off his lap.

"She knows everything. Just get used to it." I rolled my eyes and threw my backpack onto the table. Our books from yesterday were still strewn out across the center table.

"Y'all are supposed to look after us? That's a little backwards ain't it?" Link chuckled while Ethan and him did their awkward man hug thing. Ethan threw his backpack onto on of the chairs before sitting down and opening the book that possibly held all our answers. He flipped through it while I sat there quietly waiting. Ethan stopped on the page where the picture was. It was a black and white photo. Probably from the 19th century. It was blurry but it had a man and a woman in it. They were plain Jane people dressed in the normal fashion for that era.

"It's so weird. They have the paragraph about the rumors of her being a mortal and the child but that's it. No ages, names, or addresses. Did the Caster ever plan ahead?" Ethan sighed and started flipping through the rest of the pages. I grabbed a book that held all the recorded Casters through the 19th century. It was giant! I began to read the pages. We sat for a little while reading while Link and Ridley argued about something. I rolled my eyes at them. They went from kissing to arguing within the five minutes.

"I think I found something. A passage about a Light Caster named Jonathan Barrett who committed suicide after losing his wife while in labor. It matches the early passage about the rumored human girl dying during labor. Look in the names under B. Maybe we can find a birth date." I nodded and Ethan leaned over to read over my shoulder. I read the first 20 last names starting with B before I found him.

"Jonathan Barrett. He was born in 1826 and died in 1849. He was only twenty-three years old when he killed himself." Ethan leaned away and clicked his tongue.

"Is there anyone else with the last name Barrett?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah. Elizabeth and George Barrett, his parents. But no one else. He didn't have any siblings so their lineage must have died with him." This is depressing. I sat the book down and leaned back in my chair.

"Would she be listed under his last name if she was a Caster?" I shook my head.

"Everyone is has their maiden names when they enter the book the first time. After the girls 16th birthday they have to sign again with their real names. If she was a Caster and got married before she turned 16 she'd be in here as a Barrett but she's not. So either she's mortal or they married after she turned 16." Ethan shook his head probably in disappointment. Then, he grabbed the book out of my hands and started to flip through the pages. He stopped and looked down at a name. Josephine Duchannes. I had told him not to call me Josephine. My name was Lena when I as born and it will be Lena when I die.

"Sorry I was just curious if you were in here as Lena or Josephine."

"It's okay. I'm Josephine in the book but I'm Lena in the world." Ethan smiled and nodded.

"Well we should do some more research on Mister Johnathan Barrett. Ready for a long day of reading?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

_A/N: Thought I should give y'all a long chapter to show my appreciation! Hope y'all enjoy! :) 3!_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_A/N: Shout-out to PunkRose95, Cscarpenter, KBB15, Lungor Sterling Lycien, and secretauthor02. Thanks for following the story!_

Ethan sat a glass of sweet tea in front of me. We've been reading for hours but we haven't found any more information on Johnathan Barrett or his wife. I was really starting to worry that there wasn't anymore information. That we wouldn't find anything else. I took a sip of my sweet tea and smiled. Slightly cold with lots of sugar. Just the way I like it. I heard Ethan sat his glass down, fall into his chair, and sigh.

"This is impossible. Johnathan Barrett was obviously a private person." Ethan laid his head on the desk and groaned. We should get home and get some sleep. I glanced at the clock, that hung above one of the shelves.

"We should go home. It's almost midnight and we have school tomorrow." Ethan sighed but nodded. We began to stack the books, on top of each other, on the table. I picked up a particularity massive book that fell out of my hands and slammed onto the ground. I bent over to pick it up. That's odd. The book had fallen opened onto a page. But the pages were blank. I flipped through a couple of the other pages, which were full of text and drawings. Only those two pages were blank.

"Ethan." I called over to him. I heard him shuffle over to me. He bent down and picked up the book. He sat it on the table with the two pages still facing up. He ran his hands over the pages. His eyebrows stitched together in confusion. Before I could react, Ethan grabbed one of my hands and pressed it to the page. Nothing happened. I pulled away from him within seconds and hastily looked at his bandages hands. His eyes met mine for a second.

_I'm fine. You don't have to pull away every time I touch you. _

Ethan leaned in to try and kiss me. I slipped out from under him and grabbed my purse. I decided that I wouldn't touch him or let him touch me. All I had to do was glance at his hands to remind me what I could do. Ethan reached out towards me but I leaned away. His eyes flashed with anger.

"Lena, stop it!" I flinched when Ethan yelled. He turned towards the table and pressed his palms into it.

"Please, stop pulling away from me. I'm fine. My hands are healing and the marks on my neck are almost completely gone. I don't even feel any pain. The only thing that is hurting me is you. You not letting me be close to you. Do you even know how much I miss kissing you? Holding your hand, hugging you, any sort of contact at all? Every time I touch you, you pull away like it hurts to touch me."

"I know you're healing but that doesn't change the fact that you were hurt in the first place. Your hands may be permanently scarred and it's my fault. It hurts you to touch me. That's why I have to pull away. I'm not going to hurt you anymore. I'm keeping my emotions in check so that I won't. But I go crazy when you touch me. I can't keep my powers under control if I can't keep myself under control. You have to understand, Ethan. I don't want to so this but I have to." Ethan shook his head. He slammed his fists into the table sharply. The tea glasses shook and some of the books fell off their stacks. I sighed and grabbed my keys.

"We need to leave." I said quietly. I turned and began to walk the trail of corridors back up to the Gatlin Library. I could hear Ethan's heavy footsteps following me. Link and Ridley had left a couple of minutes before we said we were going to. Even though, we ended up staying three hours later than planned. I made it outside and began walking to my car. I stopped and look behind me. I didn't Ethan's footsteps anymore.

"Ethan, come on!" I yelled while unlocking the car. I didn't hear anything in return. I began walking back to the entrance to the library. I was almost there when I heard a sharp intake of breath behind me. I whipped around and threw my hands up, prepared to strike. There was no on behind me.

"Ethan!" I yelled again and ran into the library. Ethan was standing in front of a wall. He was running his hands up and down the wall.

"I just saw something. A door or something. Someone walked right past me out of this wall. I couldn't see their face but I know they came out of here." He kept running his hands around the wall until he sighed and gave up. He stared at the wall for a little while before turning to me.

"There was a door. I know there was." He was mumbling to himself as we walked back out to my car. We had climbed in and were ready to go when Ethan went silent. I decided to tell him about hearing someone breathing in the parking lot.

"So, I heard someone breathing behind me in the parking lot before I came inside. You said someone walked past you?" Ethan scratched his head as if he was in deep thought.

"It couldn't have been Amma. She wouldn't walk past me and go to you. It had to be someone or something else." Great, the last thing we needed was rampaging ghosts in Gatlin.

"Maybe it was Amma and she just didn't see you." Amma rampaging in Gatlin would be better than any other alternative. At least she wouldn't hurt anyone. Well except for maybe Uncle Macon.

"It wasn't Amma. It didn't feel like last time either. Last time I felt her presence when I saw her. This time all I felt was emptiness, sadness, and all around gloom. Amma still feels the same. Fierce and powerful. There is no way that was Amma." Ethan scratched his head again and yawned.

"Well, whoever it is, is going to have to wait until tomorrow. We're both exhausted. How about I call you in the morning?" Ethan nodded as I pulled into his driveway. I stopped the car and waited for Ethan to get out.

"Would you object to a goodbye kiss?" I nodded and he sighed. He opened the door slowly. I turned towards the front of the car and felt a quick peck on my cheek. I turned towards Ethan and scowled. He smiled sweetly and shut the door. I rolled my eyes and drove off. That boy is going to be the death of me.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_A/N: Shout out to everyone who has followed this story and stuck with me. I'm so sorry for leaving y'all waiting after a cliffhanger! Please don't hate me! I promise that I will finish this story no matter what happens. I vow to finish for all the fans of the story. I will never leave you hanging with an unfinished story. I appreciate the support from everyone of you! I won't take this long to update again! I promise you that! Alrighty, that's settled! On with the story! _

1,849...1,850...1,851...1,852. I never realized how many words I had actually written on my wall. Laying in my bed and staring at my walls was about a good as it got right now. I was exhausted but I couldn't sleep. My eyes refused to close, my muscles wouldn't relax. I was nothing more than a knot of tensed muscles. It didn't help matters that my mind was reeling. So many things were happening that I couldn't even distinguish between what was what. First, everything going on with Ethan and I. Second, throwing Liv and John into the equation. Third, Ethan seeing not only Amma but other weird things as well. Add some story about a guy from the 19th century and you've got a match made in heaven.

I sighed and flipped onto my stomach and grabbed my notepad. Not one speck of poetry had come to me in the past couple of weeks. Which was odd because usually I couldn't stop the words from coming. Now, I want nothing more than to write. I scribbled across the sheet of paper when I started to see things. Glimpses of movement, sounds of ragged breathing, and soft sighs.

_Lena._

Ethan wasn't speaking to me. I was seeing his dream again. I could hear him murmuring my name as if he was in the room. The kept getting clearer and clearer. I felt like I was sitting right next to the scene. Ethan and I were tangled together on his bed, kissing passionately. Our hands were all over each other. Ethan muttered my name before swiftly ripping my shirt into two pieces. His hands and lips were on me in seconds.

I gripped my chest as the scene reduced into nothing. I was sitting back in my room, on my own bed. I was panting and biting my lip. I ran my hand through my hair and tried to calm my breathing down. _Ring! _I jumped and fell off the bed as my cellphone went off. I pulled myself up from the floor and grabbed my cellphone from my bedside table. It was Ethan. I flipped it open and hesitantly brought it to my ear.

"Hi." I muttered softly. Did he know I saw? If he did, why would he call? Maybe he wanted to talk about it? I doubt it.

"Hey. Sorry for calling so late. I was just thinking about you." I know. I sat down on my bed and bite my lip. I should tell him. But, he would think I was invading his privacy. It wasn't my fault though.

"It's okay. I wasn't sleeping. So, what were you thinking about?" Ethan cleared his throat and chuckled a little.

"Nothing really. Just you." Liar.

"Okay. Well, I should really get some sleep."

"I love you, Lena. More than you'll ever know."

"I know." I hung up before he could declare his love anymore. Why does this have to be so difficult? All I wanted to do was kiss and hold him but I couldn't. I put my head in my hands and let my tear flow freely. I was so sick of crying but I couldn't stop it. It was better to cry alone than in front of anyone else. I pushed my hair out of my face and took a couple deep breaths. I had almost calmed down when my door came crashing open.

"Lena!" Ridley was standing in my doorway with her robe on. Behind her was Link. They both charged into my room. Ridley began to lock my windows while Link checked my closet.

"What are y'all doing? Get out of my room." I grabbed at Ridley's robe and she turned around. She looked genuinely afraid.

"They found a body out at Wader's Creek. It's Savannah Snow."

A/N: Uh Oh! Cliffhanger. Will update Friday! Promise!


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_A/N: Yay! Computer is back online! Shout out to Shimmerwing, LemonDrop14, Beautiful Duchannes, mmiller123, molhan129, kinaczuch, beatle5021, ParadeThisCity! Thanks! :) On with story!_

The walls of Gatlin High school were plastered with pictures of Savannah Snow. Pictures of her from the Winter Formal, the rallies she held against me, and just random pictures. Most of the students were acting devastated when, really, they hardly knew her. I walked up to my locker only to fine Ethan leaning against it.

"Hey. You as creeped out as I am?" Ethan nodded and moved so I could open my locker. I felt his hands brush against my sides. My cheeks flushed. We hadn't even kissed in almost a week. I could tell that it was affecting him.

"It's still pretty sad. She was a pretty horrid person but I don't think she should have died." I heard a soft sniffle and turned to find Emily Asher standing behind Ethan. Before anything was said, Emily through her arms around Ethan and began to sob.

"Emily!" Ethan gasped, obviously surprised by the hug.

"I can't believe she's gone!" Emily wailed pressing herself into Ethan even more. Ethan patted her head uncomfortably. He shot a look at me that screamed 'Help Me'. Just then the principal came walking up.

"Poor girl. Come here sweetie. You didn't have to come to school." The principal escorted Emily, who was still crying, away.

"Don't go blowing her up." Ethan chuckled beside me and I giggled loudly. Eyes peered at us from every direction. While everyone else was mourning Savannah, Ethan and I were laughing. Sure it was sad that she died but Ethan and I weren't exactly her biggest fans.

"All students are released from classes for the next two days, so you may grieve and mourn." That announcement was enough to put a smile back on my face. I shut my locker and began to stroll out of the school.

"L!" Ethan jogged up beside me and grabbed my hand quickly. I yanked it away from him and gave him a pointed look.

"Sorry forgot your rule." Ethan sighed and shoved his hands roughly into the pockets of his jeans. I put mine in my jacket pockets so that there was no more temptation. The red marks on Ethan's neck were completely gone but his hands were still pink and scarred. They would probably always be scarred from the burns I'd given him.

"Do you wanna go out tonight? I can't remember the last time we had a date." Ethan asked as he opened his truck door for me. He was allowed to drive again so we didn't bust out the hearse.

"That sounds great. I'll call Ridley and invite her and Link." Ethan sighed. He obviously wanted it to just be me and him. But I couldn't allow myself to be alone with him. I don't know the damage I could do if we had a moment.

"Don't you just want to hang out? Alone." He asked with a slight sharpness to his tone. He hated this. Heck, we both hated it but this had to be done.

"I think it would be more fun with the four of us." I was of course lying. I wanted nothing more than to be alone with Ethan. To kiss and touch him without fear. Why does this have to be so hard?

"Whatever." Ethan sighed as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"So, how does a dinner and a movie sound?" I asked trying to keep us from lulling into awkward silence like we always did.

"Sounds great." Unfortunately, we lulled into uncomfortable silence after a few minutes. Ethan pulled up to my house and Ridley and Link were sitting on the porch, making out. Ethan scoffed and practically pushed them apart.

"Dude!" Link protested but stopped when he looked up at Ethan.

"We're going a a double date tonight." I exclaimed trying to sound excited. Ridley smiled and Link chuckled. Ethan just looked pissed off. Then, his expression changed. He looked sad and confused.

"Amma." He whispered quietly and began to walk towards the front gate. He hadn't seen Amma again since the first time in the library. Other than the door, he hadn't seen or heard anything. I followed closely behind ready to be there if Ethan broke down.

"I miss you too." He murmured when he reached to gate. He placed his hands against it and choked out a small sob. I turned towards Link who placed a hand on Ethan's shoulder. Link nodded at me knowing that I couldn't comfort Ethan. Not like I wanted too.

"Did she say anything?" I asked hesitantly. Ethan shook his head and looked up at me through his long brown bangs. Tears pricked at the sides of his eyes but he smiled.

"It was nice to see her again." He whispered out before standing up straight and wiping away his tears. Since he hadn't seen anything again we dismissed the other one he saw as a fluke. But him seeing Amma again after a week was odd. Maybe she was just busy. I giggled at the thought. Could ghosts be busy if they weren't messing with crossword puzzles?

"Well Link, we should leave the ladies so they can get ready. We'll come get you at seven." Ethan seemed happier which was odd. He was usually sad after seeing Amma. I nodded while Ethan and Link walked over to Ethan's truck.

"See you at seven. I love you, Lena!" Ethan yelled back at me. I smiled and waved.

"Well, let's go get you all dolled up." I looked at Ridley horrified. I rolled my eyes and followed her inside. Hopefully, she won't torture me too much.

_A/N: Ending this one on a high note since the others have ended kinda sad. And don't worry, the ghosts are still very much a part of this story. Until next time! :)_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

_A/N: Shout-out to 46ismyfourtris, Fanfictionlover500, Askanison66, and littlebeatle97 for liking the story! Also, a huge thank you to all my followers. I know I've haven't been really active because of my job but I will start updating sooner. On with the story._

I slung my leather jacket over my shoulders and turned around to leave. Ridley was dressed in a small red dress and stilettos that would make any runway model envious. I suddenly felt really plain in my jeans and tee shirt. She rolled her eyes at me and unwrapped a lollipop.

"That's what you're wearing? Won't have to worry about Ethan touching you in that." She clicked her tongue and laughed loudly.

"That's the point." I should dress up more for him. I should do a lot of things for him that I won't do.

"God, you're such a prude." I was about to retort when a car horn blared outside. Ridley stalked out of the house with me following on her tail.

"Be careful you two!" Uncle Macon yelled down at us from somewhere in the house. I practically ran to Ethan's truck. He was leaning against the passenger side door. He was wearing blue jeans and a button down shirt. He made dressing casual look so good. I wanted to jump into his arms and kiss him. But, one of us had to have a little control. He smiled crookedly at me and opened the car door for me.

"Thanks." He nodded in response and walked around to the other side of the truck. Ridley and Link were riding in the Beater.

After a tense and quiet car ride we arrived at the drive-through theater. We were seeing some slasher movie that Link picked out. Ethan and Link bought the tickets while Ridley and I waited in the car.

"You know you should probably give Ethan a break. Or a kiss. Which ever works for you." Ridley whispered to me. She winked at me and climbed into the Beater. I rolled my eyes and laid back. Ethan had set up the bed of his truck for us. A couple of pillows and blankets. I grabbed a pillow and propped myself up so I could see the movie. Ethan smiled at me as he climbed into the truck's bed. He had gotten to drinks and a bag of popcorn.

"Thanks." I said taking my drink. He sat the popcorn down in between us before grabbing a pillow and situating himself. He then moved the popcorn and tossed one of the blankets over our laps.

"You comfortable?" He asked me. I nodded even though I felt weird. I wasn't weird for boyfriend and girlfriend to sit under a blanket and watch a movie together. However, this was the closest and most intimate Ethan and I have been in a while. I took a deep breath and giggled. I was thinking too much into this. Ethan was just trying to make me comfortable. I reached over to grab some popcorn and felt Ethan's hand brush over mine. A shock ran through me and my hand started to tingle. I pulled back and turned away from him.

"Lena." He whispered before forcefully grabbing my hand and lacing our fingers together. I tried to pull away but he was stronger than me.

"Ethan please." He shook his head and held my hand tighter.

"I don't care what you say. We're going to hold hands." He snapped. I tried to pull away again only for him to grab my hand with both hands.

"Ethan." I hissed. Before I could react, Ethan crushed his lips onto mine. I gasped as electricity shot through me. It had been so long since we last kissed. I should push him away. But, I couldn't. Instead, I pulled him closer and wrapped my arms around his neck. He grabbed my waist and pressed our bodies together. Another shock ran through me and I heard Ethan gasp. We have to stop. I tried to pull away but Ethan grabbed my face and held me to him. I pushed against his chest roughly. He pulled back only to grab my hands and pin them by my sides. He continued to kiss me until I was out of breath. His tongue snaked into my mouth and I gasped. Then, he was pulled away from me. He whipped around and punched Link straight in the face.

"Dude what the Hell!" Link shouted. I sat up and tried to catch my breath. I looked up and Ethan was looking at me. Ridley had come over and gawked at me. My wrists and hands were throbbing. I reached out and smacked Ethan.

"What the Hell! Was it really necessary to pin my hands down?" I shouted. Ethan touched his cheek before jumping out of the truck bed and stalking off.

"Ethan, wait!" Link yelled and followed after him. I rubbed my wrists and Ridley climbed in next to me.

"Did you really have to hit him? I'm pretty sure any guy whose been denied the slightest touch would have reacted like that. Sure it was an jerk move but you can't really blame him." I sighed. It was wrong to hit him but I was just pissed. I wasn't mad at Ethan, I was mad at our situation.

"I'll go apologize." I hopped out of the truck bed and walked off in the direction I saw Ethan and Link go. I stopped when I heard Ethan and Link talking.

"Are you okay?" Link asked. I looked around the tree I was standing behind. Ethan was sitting on the ground with his head in his hands.

"No. I'm not okay. I'm losing my mind. To Lena this isn't a big deal at all. She's fine while I'm driving myself crazy. I can't stop thinking about touching her. The sad part is that I'm starting to not care. She can kill me for all I care. I just want to be with her." Ethan uncovered his face and on his cheek was a huge red slash right where I hit him. His hands were also a scarlet red. Link patted his shoulder and sank onto the ground next to him.

"Do y'all have any idea how to fix this yet?" Link asked.

"Not the slightest. I keep feeling like it has something to do with this Jonathan Barrett guy but I'm not sure. For all I know Lena and I just aren't meant to be together."

"That's nonsense. I've never met anyone whose more perfect for you than Lena."

"I can't keep doing this though." I was about to walk over to them when I felt a cool breath against my neck. I turned around quickly but no one was there. I looked around and saw someone standing in the trees to my left. He was there for a second and then gone.

"Whose there?" I heard Ethan say before turning the corner and seeing me.

"Lena what are you doing?"

"There was a guy standing over there." Ethan pushed my behind him and stepped forward.

"Who are you?" He yelled at the trees. Then the man I saw was standing inches away from Ethan. A high picked wail sounded through the forest. I clamped my hands over my ears and fell to my knees. I looked up only to see the man grab Ethan and force him to the ground.

"Touch her and you will both die!" The man wailed before disappearing into thin air.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

_A/N: Shout-Out to CastersRCool, Booknerd22, and jellyfish1234. Thanks for following and liking this story!_

"Ethan!" I crawled towards his crumpled body. I grabbed his face and pulled him towards him.

"Ethan, wake up. Wake up!" Ethan shot up with a gasp. I threw my arms around him and he encased me in his arms. I heard footsteps behind us. I glanced up to see Link and Ridley looking at us. They both looked rather confused. I turned towards Ethan when the mans words rang through me. _Touch her and you will both die. _I peeled myself out of Ethan's arms and took a couple steps back.

"What happened?" Link asked while helping Ethan off the ground. He sighed and wiped the dirt off his hands onto his jeans.

"I don't know. All I know is that was no human." Link arched his eyebrow in confusion. Ethan looked at me. He walked over to where I was and hugged me tightly again. I pressed onto his chest and he let me go.

"Don't touch me. Whoever that was obviously knows something we don't. We shouldn't be touching." Ethan sighed and backed up.

"Well, I think we should get outta here before any other dead people decide to show up." Ridley said while grabbing my arm.

"Hey Short Straw! Give me your keys. You go with Hot Rod." Ethan rolled his eyes but tossed the keys to Ridley.

"We're going back to Ravenwood. We need to talk to Macon." I was a little surprised Ethan wanted to go talk to Macon. Ever since the incident at the library Ethan and Uncle Macon hadn't spoken to each other. We climbed into our cars and drove off to Ravenwood.

"So what your saying is that you've been seeing more ghosts? Not just Amma." Ethan nodded his head. He was leaning against the wall of our living room. Uncle Macon was pacing back in forth. We had just relayed all the events of the night to him. Well except for the part about Ethan and I making out in the back of his truck. Ridley grinned at me from the where her and Link were sitting. I rolled my eyes but I could feel the blush run across my face. I looked down at my wrists. I had bruises in the shape of Ethan's fingers across them. I hadn't even been mad at him. More mad at the universe for keeping us apart. I heard Uncle Macon grunt and I looked up. His eyes were on my wrists as well. I covered them with the ends of my jacket. Macon's eyes flashed with anger. Before I could even explain he had Ethan by the neck.

"Why did you do to her?" Macon yelled at him while squeezing his neck.

"Stop! He didn't hurt me!" I grabbed at my uncles robe and tried to yank him away. The only thing I succeeded in going was falling over onto my butt. Then, Macon was tossed away from Ethan and onto the ground. Ethan was on his knees gasping for breath while looking up at something. I didn't have to see ghosts to know that Amma was protecting Ethan. Even in the Otherworld, she wouldn't let Ethan get hurt. I thought back to the first time Ethan had been hurt by me. He was pulled away from me then as well. Of course, she was trying to protect him from me too.

"Thanks Amma." I said to thin air. Ethan had finally caught his breath and stood up. Macon was sitting on the couch now. A teapot and several teacups landed on the table.

"Apparently Kitchen wants us to get along." I snickered at Ridley's comment. I looked over at Macon only yo see him glaring at Ethan.

"Would you care to explain to me why my niece had bruises?" He hissed. Ethan opened his mouth but before he could get anything out the front door slammed open. Liv, John, and Marian came marching in with a couple of books.

"Great. Why are y'all here?" Ethan groaned and plopped down onto the couch next to me.

"Well, why y'all were out having fun we were researching. A thank you would be appreciated." John snapped before grabbing a cup of tea and handing it to Liv. She smiled at him before turning towards Ethan and I.

"You were right Ethan. Johnathan Barrett has everything to do with this. Apparently, his wife died while giving birth. But there was never any record of what happened to their child. I think that their child lived. Half Caster-Half Human. In this book, there is a a letter written by a woman named Adeline. She talks about her father, Johnathan and mention that her mother died of a young age. If this is their daughter that means that there may be more half caster-half humans out there. Of course, this solves nothing about why Casters and Humans can't have have sexual relationships. However, this is all speculation. We still don't know if her mother was a human or a Caster. If she was a Caster then this doesn't matter. If she was a human, then they must have found a cure or a loophole. We really need to find more out about this woman." Liv took a breath and sipped her tea. Ethan leaned forward and grabbed one of the books. He stared at it for a second before flipping it open and turning the pages quickly.

"Ethan." He hushed Liv and continued to flip. He stopped at a page in the back and a smile broke across his face.

"What did you find?" Ethan leaned back and scanned the page.

"Johnathan Barrett killed himself at twenty-three. His wife died six months before then. If the child was alive she would have gone to someone else. An orphanage or something. Well, this book isn't from the Caster library. It's about an orphanage here in Gatlin that burned down in the nineteenth century. The only person that made it out was a five year old girl named Adeline. Coincidence? I don't think so. Then, a couple years after, a young boy was killed at another orphanage. Take a wild guess who also stayed in that orphanage? Adeline. Now it could be possible that Adeline was a full caster. But, she was adopted when she was eleven. There's no record of her after that. If she was a full caster she would be in that book." He pointed towards the book all the Casters signed in the nineteenth century.

"Look for everyone with the name Adeline and when they were born. If she was a Caster we'll find her. If she's in there then she was a Caster. If not, then she really was half human-half Caster." He closed the book and leaned over to grab a cup of tea. We all gawked at him. I knew Ethan was smart but being able to find all that was amazing.

"As I've said before, Ethan you are a genius!" Liv jumped up and came to sit next to Ethan. She grabbed the Caster History book and they started to flip through it together. I looked up at Marian who was smiling at them like a loving mother. I looked over at them. They were very close.

"We'll never be good enough for them." John whispered to me as he walked past. I jumped up and followed him out of the door.

"John!" He was sitting on the front porch drinking out of a silver flask.

"They would be so much better off without us. No pain, no crazy Caster stuff. Just two happy teenagers. Believe it or not I know how you feel. Liv and I aren't as bad as you and Ethan but whenever we get to that point she always ends up hurting. I don't want her to ever hurt." I sat next to him and he passed me the flask. I took a quick swig of the burning liquid. My throat tingled and I felt a tear run down my cheek. He was right. I was bad for Ethan just like he was for Liv.

"You wanna get outta here?" John asked while grabbing his flask back.

"Yeah." I mumbled. John grabbed my hand and we ripped away from the Ravenwood Manor and the two mortals we loved.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

_A/N: Shout-out to jezreeee, BecaJesse13, fallingintothesea, bella9, BlackFireIsAlive, ForwoodDelena, and wolfie18 for liking the story!_

My headpounded as I sat up. I was sitting on a small blanket. I was on a concrete floor. I looked over beside me. John was laying next to me, sleeping quietly. Oh God! I scrambled off the blanket and away from John. What happened last night? I don't remember anything!

"John!" I screeched. He shot up and looked around frantically.

"What the hell! I was sleeping." John was wearing nothing but his dark wash jeans. His shirt was laying across the room. I looked down at myself. I was still fully clothed but I couldn't shake the feeling something bad happened.

"What did we do?" John's eyebrow cocked up into a fine arch. He glanced over my body and his.

"I think it's pretty obvious." He whispered. My stomach churned as vomit rose up in my throat. I heard John rush over to me as I puked up my stomach contents. Which was mostly alcohol from the previous night. My hair was pulled gently back from my face. I pushed John away from me and ran out of the small building and into an alley.

"Lena!" I heard John yell as my feet pounded on the pavement. My mind was racing as I ran. Why was I going to do? Did I really have sex with John? How could I do that to Ethan? Just thinking Ethan's name sent a flash of pain through my chest.

"Oh my god." I whimpered. Ethan. More pain. Ethan. Pain. He's going to hate me. Tears poured down my cheeks as I ran. I stopped when I found myself standing in front of the small cross that marked Ethan's old grave. How could I do this to him?

"Lena!" John had caught up with me. He laid his hand on my shoulder but I pushed him away. Before I could stop myself, I screamed. A heart piercing scream tore through my throat as I fell to my knees. What did I do.

"Lena calm down. We didn't sleep together." I looked up at John who kneeled down next to me. He smoothed my hair down with his hand. When I looked into his eyes all I could see was guilt. Guilt, regret, and most of all sadness.

"You said it was obvious! If we didn't have sex then what happened?" John sat back onto the grass.

"All I remember is us kissing. You got pretty slammed. Kept calling me Ethan. I would have stopped you but I was pretty slammed too." All he remembered was us kissing. But if we were both drunk enough to forget everything then what if more happened?

"What if we did?" His eyes met mine for the first time since we had woken up into Hell.

"I don't know. I'm shit at lying to Liv though. Something about her makes me want to tell her every secret. Every mistake and flaw. I'm kinda glad that neither of us remember. If we don't remember then I never happened."

"It doesn't matter if we don't remember! It happened! Even if you just remember kissing there is still a possibility that we had sex!" I heard a small gasp behind me. Oh God no. I turned around to see Ethan standing behind me. His hands were clenched and I could see him biting his lip roughly. I watched as everyone else filed out of the manor.

"Thank God y'all are back. Where have you been all night?" Liv asked while throwing her arms around John. Then, for the first time, I saw a tear run down his cheek.

_L._

Ethan's voice light up in my head. He hadn't moved an inch.

"You had sex with him?" Ethan didn't yell. He didn't get angry or sad. It was as if he was stating a undeniable fact. Liv turned away from John and glared at Ethan.

"Just cause they left together doesn't mean they slept together. We shouldn't automatically assume the worst, Ethan. John and Lena wouldn't sleep together. Right, John?" She stood up and looked at him. Even though she was significantly shorter than him she looked menacing.

"I don't remember." John whispered. Liv looked taken aback. She stepped away from John again and then hers eyes started to water with tears.

"How dare you!" She screamed before slapping John across the face. John barely flinched but more tears fell down his cheeks.

"Olivia, I'm so sorry." Liv shook her head and walked back towards the house. I watched Marian chase after her. Ethan had been so silent that I thought he had left. But when I turned, he was standing in the exact same spot. His eyes turned to John and I feared that Macon would have to come out and rip them apart.

"I hope for your sake Marian doesn't come back out here." Ethan glanced towards me for a second and then turned back towards the house. The next hour went by in a depressing blur. Marian loaded Liv up in her car and then left. Ethan left shortly after them. He didn't even look at me. I tried o talk to him only to be shut out. What have I done?

_A/N: OH MY GOD! This was probably the hardest chapter for me to write ever. I really hope I don't lose any of y'all over this. Don't worry about anything though! Ethan and Lean always prevail! Until next time. _


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

_A/N: Shout-Out to fallingintothesea, bubblelover302, perlia4ever, broodyprettygirl. and bamboovoodo. Thanks so much for following and liking the story. Also to all my fans, I am having a lot of trouble continuing this story. I don't like the way somethings are turning out :(. So I would like each of you to review and tell me if you think I should do a rewrite or continue on this track. Y'alls opinion means everything to me. This story is just as much for y'all as it is for me. Now on with the story! :)_

"What are you doing, Lena?" I asked myself as I knocked gently on the Wates front door. Ethan hasn't spoken to me in a week. He stopped coming to the library for research and didn't speak to me at school. I couldn't even Kelt with him anymore. It was like he was shutting me completely out. Of course, I understood why he was doing this. Any rational person would hate me. I heard footsteps coming towards the door and I was suddenly extremely nervous. The front door swung open. Mitchell Wate was standing there in his suit. He had started teaching a class at the University after Amma died. Ethan said he was trying really hard to support them.

"Lena!" He exclaimed before opening the screen door and practically dragging me into the house. He led me to the small table that sat beside there kitchen. He pulled out a chair for me and began scrambling around the kitchen. He was still a little off kilter but it was a better improvement than living in his study.

"You haven't come over in forever. Ethan always says you're too busy to come over and visit but here you are. Would you like some tea?" I smiled and nodded. I hadn't really spent time with Mitchell. Usually, Ethan and me disappeared into his room when I came over which, since Amma died, wasn't very often.

"Ethan is upstairs doing something. I'll go get him." Mitchell sat down a coffee mug of tea in front of me and dashed out of the room. I looked down at the mug. It was full of lukewarm water, a tea bag, and two sugar cubes on top of the tea bag. I giggled softly and moved the sugar cubes off of the tea bag, took the tea bag out, and went to the microwave to heat the water up. I watched the cup revolve around when I heard a deep cough behind me. I turned around and there he was. Ethan's hair was disheveled and his reading glasses were perched on his nose. Dark rims had formed around his eyes but he looked healthy. His skin was tanner than usual. Mitchell came back into the room and started to make a cup of tea for him.

"Dad. Lena and I are gonna go out to the front porch." Mitchell waved behind him and Ethan turned on his heel to walk out the house. Completely forgetting my tea cup, I followed him out. Ethan was leaning against the wall across from three rockers that belonged to his Great Aunts when they lived here.

"Yes." Was all he said. I took a seat in one of the rockers and wrapped my hands together.

"I just wanted to see how you were. Finals are next week and every ones been stressing out."

"You think I'm stressed about finals?" It was more of a statement than a question. Ethan sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Ethan, I-"

"I don't want to hear it Lena!" I flinched back. Ethan had yelled at me before but never with a look of anger.

"I'm so sorry." I whispered.

"Do you honestly think saying sorry is going to help the situation at all? I know you're sorry. And frankly, I don't give a crap. You decided to cheat on me with John. You decided to hurt me. You decided I wasn't good enough for you. So, instead of bothering me with your apologies, go spend time with John. You chose him, remember." I was then that I saw it. The pain and despair hidden underneath the anger in Ethan's eyes. At that moment, I hated myself more than I ever have. More than when I thought I was going dark. More than when I ran away with John. More than when Ethan sacrificed himself for me. I felt tears prick at my eyes but I forced them back. I stood up and walked away from the house. Ethan didn't yell or chase after me. But I did hear the small sob that escaped his throat. I clenched my teeth to stop myself from crying out to him. The last thing he needs right now is me. I turned the corner and sitting on his motorcycle was John. We haven't been near each other since the day we possibly slept together.

"Hop on." He said to me. I shook my head and kept walking. Hanging out with him wasn't going to help the situation.

"You know, I'm in deep shit too. You're not the only one who screwed up their life in one night." He said before staring his bike and riding off. Of course, he had lost Liv during this whole fiasco as well. As far as I know, she locked herself in the Lunae Libri with Marian. Marian was also pissed at both John and I. How could I make such a terrible mistake.

I had been walking around Gatlin aimlessly for about two hours before I stopped in front of the small cross that marked Ethan's old grave. I laid down next to it and spun the button I had placed on it all those months ago. I kept it hanging on my charm necklace to remind myself how lucky I was to have him back. Well, I screwe that one up anyways. I shut my eyes tightly and gripped the button. _I love you, Ethan Wate. _


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

_A/N: Hey guys! Sorry I've been MIA for awhile. Full time jobs will kill ya. Quick Shout-out to Lena J. Duchannes, Horses-are-my-life, and ilovetwilight2. Thanks Guys!_

Seeing Ethan at school was quite possibly the worst time to see him. It had been three weeks since we broke up and people had taken notice. They would all whisper and sneer at me as I walked the long expanse of the hallways. But, what was much worse, Ethan didn't glance in my direction or speak to me. It was like I had become invisible to him. I could deal with people not liking me, the had my whole life. But Ethan had liked me from the start. Constantly being the good guy. Trying to be my friend when no one else would. Loving me for who I was. I slammed my locker and turned around to see Emily Asher standing in the hallway across from me.

"I knew this would happen. Ethan and you don't belong together. He's one of us and you're just a freak!" She shouted before advancing with a scowl obscuring her face. Her heels made her a few inches taller than I was. She looked down on my like I was a bug.

"What did he see in you anyways? You're not pretty and, from what I've heard, not putting out any." I flinched. Of course, she was probably just saying that to get under my skin. But, I still had a flicker of Ethan telling Emily all about our physical relationship, or lack thereof. I bit my lip and tried to walk around her. She blocked me. She had taken full reign over Torture Lena ever since Savannah drowned in Waders Creek. She was taking the job pretty serious apparently. I tried to move around her again but she grabbed my arm and shoved me back into my locker.

"You need to learn your place!" She shouted before lifting her hand to smack me. I clenched my teeth and Emily screamed. Her wrist had snapped without any movement. She backed away from me still screeching like a banshee. I grabbed my backpack and was suddenly yanked away from the scene. I was being dragged out into the school parking lot while teachers and kids crowded around Emily. The person let go of my arm. I looked up and Ethan was staring at me. His hair had gotten very long and was falling over his eyes. I felt an overwhelming need to push it behind his ear like he had done so many times to me.

"What the hell was that?" He whispered and then glanced around to make sure we were alone.

"I didn't meant to. She was going to hit me and then her wrist just snapped."

"You've been in control of your powers for two years now." He whispered accusingly.

"I don't have it under control all the time, Ethan. You're a prime example of that." He chuckled a little and then started to walk away.

"Ethan Wate and Lena Duchannes, please report to the principals office immediately." I heard over the intercom in the school. Great, we were two weeks away from finals and I was probably going to be expelled. Ethan glanced back at me a couple of times while we walked to the principals office. We had been here plenty of times since we started dating. We walked into the office and automatically sat down.

"Emily Asher has just been sent to the hospital. She claims that you broke her wrist. Is that true, Lena?" I shook my head. I was my fault but they couldn't know that.

"Well, we have more than a dozen witnesses who saw you break Emily's wrist. Are you telling me that they are all wrong?" I shrugged and leaned back in my seat. I watched as the principal scowled. Here it comes.

"We have zero tolerance for violence. I have no other choose than to expel you. Considering, you will not be able to finish finals, you will not receive your diploma." I nodded but then Ethan slammed his hands on the principals desk.

"Emily hit her first. Lena was just defending herself. Just because Lena is stronger than Emily doesn't mean she should be expelled and not given her right to graduate." Don't do this Ethan. He won't expel you.

"Mr. Wate, I suggest you sit down. Ms. Duchannes is getting what she deserves." A hateful sneer twisted across our principals face.

"If you have zero tolerance for violence then I guess Emily will be expelled as well?" The principals sneer grew wider.

"Emily Asher is a model student whose never done anything wrong. I won't expel her because of an injury she got from Ms. Duchannes. Now, Mr. Wate, I will not tell you again, sit down." The door slammed open and Macon walked into the office. He waved Ethan and I out of the room and we obliged immediately. I was pacing in the hallway soon enough when I heard Ethan gasp.

"Ethan." I turned around to see Ethan staring at a girl who had appeared at the end of the hallway. She was obviously not a student here. She motioned towards Ethan who followed her as if he was a puppet on a piece of string. Oh Crap! Was she another siren? I grabbed Ethan's arm but I only succeeded in being drug along with him. I ran into Ethan's back when we abruptly stopped in the parking lot.

"Ethan and Lena. I've been waiting to meet you two. I'm sure you've heard of me. I'm Adeline Barrett."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

_A/N: Shout-out to TheFutureMrsLarios, halfbloodherogirl, OncelerHetaliaMusicRideFANGIRL, Kurumaru, and nltpurpolia. Ya'll rock!_

"Adeline Barrett? As in Johnathan Barrett's daughter?" I asked as Ethan gawked at the girl standing in front of us. She smiled and winked at him.

"The one and only." She said while perching herself on the hood of Ethan's truck.

"That's not possible. You were born in the nineteenth century. You should be dead." Adeline laughed. It was a high pitched shrill sound that stung my ears. I glanced at Ethan who seemed to have been put into a trance.

"Well, as you can see, I am very much alive. Oh and don't worry about lover boy here. He's just a little frozen." She snickered and hopped of the car. Her hips swayed as she drew closer to me.

"I wanted to talk. Caster to Caster." Her breath washed over me and I felt as if I had been hit with a brick of ice. She leaned back and I took in her features. She was deathly pale with long black hair and pale gray eyes.

"So you are a Caster?" I squeaked. My throat felt like it was being held closed. She smiled and flicked her wrist. Ethan fell onto the concrete. He gasped for air and clutched his chest.

"I guess you could say that. I am more Caster than I am Mortal." I knew it. There was no way she was a normal Caster. And she was definitely not Mortal.

"You are half." Ethan gasped as he struggled to stand up. Adeline turned towards him and clapped her hands slowly.

"You're not as dumb as you look." She snickered as she walked towards Ethan. I wanted to grab her. To keep her from touching him but the tightening in my throat became unbearably painful with every small movement I made. Adeline kneeled down and caressed the Ethan's cheek. He shivered and goosebumps raised on his arms. My throat constricted again and I fell to my knees gasping for breath. Adeline laughed again and the sound sent pain through my whole body.

"No use in fighting it. I'm stronger than you, Lena. I grabbed at my chest as the air in my lungs was expelled. I nodded towards her and then gasped. I gulped down the air greedily and glanced over at Ethan. He was looking at me with utter shock written across his face.

"Now that we've got that settled, I have a proposition for you two." Adeline said as she perched herself back onto the hood of Ethan's truck. I raised my eyebrow and could almost feel Ethan doing the same. Adeline smiled and then pulled something out of thin air. It was a heavy black book. A long black strap bound it closed. She sat it on her lap, undid the strap, and began flipping through the pages. She winked at me as she came to a stop.

"I know what you two want. To be able to touch without pain or the risk of death. Well, I have the spell right here that could solve that problem." I jumped up from the ground and rushed over to her. A large hand grabbed my shoulder and stopped me. I turned towards Ethan who was staring straight at Adeline.

"How do we know she is who she says she is?" Adeline's laugh pierced the air again.

"I thought we already established that." Adeline sneered as Ethan fell to the ground in pain.

"We believe you!" I screamed and Ethan sat up again. He looked at Adeline and ground his teeth. She smiled sweetly at him and then beckoned us forward with her finger. We walked over to her and peered over the top of the book. I read the page over and over until the words sank in.

"Oh my God." I muttered as Adeline snapped the book shut.

"Oh my God is correct. You see Mortals and Casters can't touch or have sex because of the consequences. If a Mortal and a Caster have sex and the woman falls pregnant then we have a predicament on our hands. The child begins to slowly suck the life and power out of the mother. There has only been two accounts of a Mortal and a Caster having a child though. The first, in the sixteenth century, killed it's mother before she could give birth to it. Which in turn killed it as well. I am the only living offspring. Also, if you haven't noticed I am still living. Another unique thing about half breeds, as I like to call them, is that they are immortal. We age quickly and then between the ages of 16 and 20 we stop. For instance, I have been 19 for over a century. We are immortal and, as I've already shown you, very powerful. And now that you know, how about that proposition." Ethan and I looked at each other and nodded. Adeline sneered and I knew that we probably just made a huge mistake.


	20. Author Note

Hey everyone! I hate these also but I had too tell y'all why I haven't been writing. My computer hardware crashed and it was going to take a couple hundred dollars to fix so I decided to buy a new computer. I haven't updated because of not having a computer to write on. My new computer is now here and I'll be posting new chapters to both Growing Together and The Phoenix and The Nightingale tomorrow. I'm really sorry about having y'all wait so long! Y'all reading and reviewing means the world to me. I promise I will make it up to you. Especially my Growing Together readers ;). Thanks y'all and be looking for the next all new chapters tomorrow.


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

_A/N: Shout-out to Queen of Everything Epic, LovePercabeth818, OhShiiz, JMGross1979, Pond-Centurion, and GenGenReeves for liking the story. Thanks guys _

"Do you believe her?" Ethan asked me as we sat in my bedroom. We had been running over our whole conversation and unexpected meeting with Adeline Barrett since we got back.

"Yeah I do. That book she had. That's the real deal. Even if she isn't Adeline she still knows more than we do. I'm more curious about the spell. If there is such a spell, why didn't we find it earlier?" Ethan shrugged and leaned against the wall. I fiddled with my necklace. If she's telling the truth than we could actually beat this thing. But, even then, the consequences of what we've so desperately been chasing are astronomical. I glanced up at Ethan who was staring at me. He smiled and my heart began to race. We haven't been this close to each other since we broke up. I desperately missed him but I knew that pushing the situation wouldn't help anything.

"So, if this spell is the real thing and we can break the curse, what does that mean for us?" Ethan blurted all of a sudden. His cheeks turned slightly pink and he rubbed his hands together.

"What do you want it to mean for us?" I asked hesitantly. He shrugged and looked at the ground. I know he's still hurting from the situation with John and me. I was about to stand up when I noticed something glinting in the corner of my room. I walked over to it and picked it up. It was a small pin. I heard Ethan walk up behind me.

"What's that?" He asked.

"I don't know. Have you ever seen it before?" I began to pass it to Ethan but it glowed red and then Ethan and I were thrown into another room.

"Shit!" Ethan exclaimed as he hit the concrete floor. I glanced around and automatically knew where we were. The blanket in the corner and the leather jacket tipped me off. This was where John and I supposedly had sex.

"Where are we?" Ethan asked. I couldn't bring myself to tell him. We stood in the center of the room for a couple of seconds when the door flew open. A very drunk John and me staggered into the room. Oh my God! We were seeing past events again. But, he can't see this! I turned to Ethan would had already put two and two together. He was staring at our figures with a rage I've never seen in his eyes. My other self stumbled onto the blanket and John followed. We laid next to each other for a few seconds before he turned to my other self.

"I really love her. Liv, I mean. She's just so brilliant." He slurred before kissing the other me. Ethan slammed his fist into the wall and I could see tears forming in his eyes.

"Ethan." I said but my voice echoed. My other self had said Ethan's name as well. I watched as John pulled away and the other me began to cry. John grabbed another blanket and draped it over my shoulders. He was apparently sober enough to know when to stop.

"I'm so sorry." The other me said silently before covering her face in the blanket and beginning to sob again. John looked down at me and then left the room. I heard the motorcycle rev and drive off. The other me fell asleep only a couple of minutes later. Then, it felt as if the memory was put on fast forward. The next thing I knew it was sunlight and John came back in. He looked even more drunk than when he first came in. He stripped his shirt off and fell onto the blanket next to the other me. The memory went onto fast forward again and I saw my other self jolt up and then we were torn out of the memory. Ethan and I landed back in my room and the small pin was gone. Ethan and I glanced at each other.

"We didn't do anything." I whispered mostly to myself. Before my thoughts could catch up with the events that just happened, Ethan lunged forward and kissed me. I gasped as Ethan knocked me off balance and we went tumbling onto the floor. Ethan landed on top of me, which hurt a little, but I ignored the pain. Without even thinking of the consequences I grabbed Ethan's shoulders and crushed his body into mine. Ethan groaned and picked me up from the floor. It took some maneuvering but Ethan got us onto my bed without breaking the kiss. He pulled away slightly and I gasped for breath.

"Ethan." I had to stop him but my body wouldn't let me. Ethan's lips found my neck and he began to trail kisses across my neck and down to my collarbone. I shivered from sheer delight and gathered the material of Ethan's shirt in my hands. Ethan sat up abruptly only to tear his shirt over his head and meet my lips again. My hands smoothed up and down his torso and I shivered again. His body felt like it was on fire. Ethan's tongue slipped into my mouth and we began to fight over dominance for the kiss. After a few seconds, I gave up and Ethan's kissed became much more intense. I couldn't think properly. All I could feel was Ethan. His lips and his hands. His hands had maneuvered my blouse open without me noticing. His hands found my breasts and he began to knead them gently. I gasped and Ethan began to kiss my neck again.

"I love you." He mumbled over and over again against my neck as his hands moved from my breasts to my waist. He pulled me into him and I gasped again as our bodies crushed together.

"It's nice to be able to kiss isn't it?" Ethan and I jumped up. Adeline was standing beside my bedroom window with a mischievous smirk on her face. I began to button up my blouse and I heard her chuckle.

"Enough play time. We have things to do."


End file.
